FateStay Night: Umbra Bello
by LifeByTheCreed
Summary: You know, when I woke up this morning, I did not expect the apocalypse. When I nearly died, I did not expect to wake up at all. When I woke up, I did not expect to end up in an Anime. When I woke up in an Anime, I didn't expect the characters to start acting... off. Self Insert. Elements from all three routes. Minor 4th wall breaks. Project Mouthwash versions of characters.
1. One Door Closes, Another Opens

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Well, hello people of Fanfiction!**

**First, I'd like to welcome you all to this new fanfic, and hope you all enjoy the ride with me.**

**This will be a Self-Insert. So if you don't like that sort of thing, and the tropes that tend to go with them, this is your chance to check out. Just clearing that up from the start.**

**My Self-Insert self will not be as familiar with the Nasu-verse as I am. At that point I'm choosing to pull him apart from me, he'll only really know about UBW. At that point in my life, he'll have never watched any other series, never played Grand Order, and never delved too deep into the lore. So he's only got the basics to call on in terms of meta knowledge.**

**If I get anything completely wrong, feel free to point it out. Even now, my knowledge of the Nasuverse only extends to the Fate/Stay night part of the verse. So no Tsukihime references unless an anime of it happens to come up on netflix. I've seen most of the anime's (except magical girl Illya because I really don't care for loli's) , some of Hollow Ataraxia, all of Apocrypha, all of Carnival Phantasm, and played about halfway through Grand Order before the gameplay got annoyingly repetitive. I know that a good majority of the series I've mentioned technically don't exist in the same world, which I hope will be enough to explain the biggest inconsistencies.**

**Anyway, if you're still with me, let's watch, and enjoy!**

* * *

**Emphasis**

"**Different tone based on context**"

"Speaking aloud"

"_Thought"_

"(Whisper/quiet)"

"((Foreign Language))"

"~Singing/Singsong voice~"

* * *

"_In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."_

― _Sun-Tzu,_

_Theme Song- __Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines_

* * *

_Chapter I- One Door Closes, Another Opens..._

_September 21st, 2015_

_Time 3:15 pm_

_Mays Landing, New Jersey_

"~Do do, do di dit do, di di da da de dup dop~"

Oh, sorry, didn't notice you there. Got a little distracted with a beat in my head. See, I realized a while ago an upbeat song for me was just as effective as coffee.

Who am I you may ask? Well, the name's Robert Orso.

…

…

…

What? You want more than that? Why? Cause you're reading a story about me?

Why on earth would you be interested in that? I'm not really that fascinating at all. As much as I might **want **to be some badass well deserving of an audience, I'm afraid I'm as boring as they come.

Well, we **are **at the beginning, aren't we? Maybe it'll get better. Maybe I have some secret background where I'm the survivor of a great tragedy, or some top secret government experiment that got away, or I'm some great and powerful heir to a great dynasty.

Well… I doubt that. I don't really have a reason to believe I'm special at all. If I was, I'd have more things going on in my life. But since I do have an audience to talk to, maybe things will get bette-

Huh? I'm rambling about random bullshit? Sorry. Let's start over shall we?

My name is Robert Orso. I'm seventeen years old, a B- student, I go to a cooking club after school, I hate watching sports, occasionally like playing them casually, I'm a videogame nerd, I love music from the 50s, and if I'm boring you so far, I'm sorry.

**Throoooom…**

Ah, that would be the bus's finally here. Coming to bring me home, so I can go to sleep for an hour, just so they can whisk me off again to another day of complete, and utter monotony…

And this is why I need the upbeat song. Without songs like "Always someone cooler than you.", I don't think I'd have the energy to start the day without falling into a pseudo depression, and generally becoming a nuisance to everyone around me.

Teenager problems.

**Screeeech!**

"'sigh'"

The Bus comes to a stop, and I step on. Bracing myself for more day to day crap. Luckily, everybody is even more tired than me today. So I didn't have to put up with the other students.

Though last year, and this year have been good so far, I've had to put up with a lot of real assholes on the bus over the years. On the bus… and at school. But, y'know, who doesn't. Guess it's all part of the experience really. Still… a good spot is available in the front where some decent people sit in front, and behind me, so I decide to take it, and try relaxing a bit. Letting Ben Folds carry my day back to a higher point.

~Smile like you've got nothing to prove

No matter what you might do  
There's always someone out there cooler than you~

**vrooom**

~I know it's hard to believe

But there are people you meet  
They're into something that is too big to be~  
Expressed~ through their clothes

And they'll put up with all the poses you thro~

**Vrooaam**

~But there's always someone cooler than you

Yeah, you're the shit but you won't be it for long  
Oh, there's always someone cooler than you

Yeah, there's always someone cooler than y~

**VRRRROOOOOOOM!**

**SHAKE! SHAKE!**

Ok, what the fuck was that!?

Looking around I see the other students panicking.

**SHAKE! SHAKE!**

I tear the headphones out pretty quickly after that.

"What's going on!?" I demand to know before-

**SCRREEEEEEECHH!**

The bus came to a sudden, and complete stop nearly throwing me out of my seat into the isles of the bus. Others weren't so lucky, as apparently seatbelts on a school bus are just some silly myth, and got tossed around the vehicle. Along with loose books, and crap.

Not getting answers, I decided to look for myself, and-

The sky is on fire.

…maybe that is the reason I have an audience.

**BAM!**

**CRRRAAACKKK!**

And now the ground is opening up.

Ok, we gotta drive the hell outta here-

And the driver is gone.

And the students are trampling over one another to get out.

...now might be a good time for me to move too. Waiting for everyone else to pile out, because I'm totally not panicking (and **not** because I'm scared shitless), I move out of the bus, and get a better view of the world.

This isn't right. New Jersey doesn't get earthquakes! Or sky fires for that matter.

People are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, none of them seem to know where they are going.

Ok… what the hell am I supposed to do!?

They don't teach us about what you're supposed to do in earthquakes around here.

Fire drills? At least once a month. Intruder drills? A regular thing (Though if someone genuinely tried to break into the school, I haven't the slightest idea how what we were taught is supposed to help). Earthquake drills? Zip. Nada.

Maybe it's safer back in the bus?

I turn back to the vehicle, and try to get back in to take cover. If I'm gonna die, I'm not gonna do it outta breath. Stepping inside, the windows on the other side showed the street was on fire too.

Oh, and also there was a shadow wolf.

…

…

…

Whaaaa!?

Were we being invaded by the RWBYverse!?

The shadow wolf was tearing people to shreds. Ah intestines, and other human bits. How… quaint.

Does that sound a bit off? Sorry, just trying not to panic-

They're also eating people.

Hehehehe… I'm in danger.

Choosing now as a good time to bolt, I commanded my body to move but-

"'Ergh' 'Ergh'…" I couldn't move. I couldn't look away. Totally not panicking at all.

"C'mom-c'mon-c'mon-c'mon-c'mon-c'mon-c'mon **'Wham'** C'MON-MOVE DAMN İT!" I nearly knocked myself out getting me to snap out of whatever fear induced trance I was in.

Noping my way the fuck out of there, I took off faster than I thought was possible for me.

I really have no idea where I'm supposed to go, but like hell was I dying now! Swerving between panicking people, and stuck vehicles, I keep trying to think about somewhere I can go.

I can't run forever… or very far.

…

Or very lon- I'm outta shape alrigh-!?

**VRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRCGHHHHH!**

"SHIT!" I just narrowly dodged death in the form of an out of control truck.

**CRRRRRRHBAAAAMMM!**

I ducked to avoid the debris from the crash.

"Holy shit…" moving behind a parked car for cover, I take a second to think.

"Okay...okay… we're under attack… people are dying… it **might **be the apocalypse… safest place to be would be… aw damn." The closest place I can think of is a local church. It's set up as a place of shelter during emergencies, so maybe it's secure enough to last against… all of this. Problem being, it's on the complete opposite side of town from here. So I probably-

"'**Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...'"**

I stopped my panicked breathing. Ducking behind cover, I can hear that thing prowling through the debris.

"Wh-what are- God- OH GOD NOOO**AARAGGHHHH!**" The driver was being torn apart by the thing. Blood was flying everywhere.

C-Can I do something!? I-I can't just leave or-

"m-mom...? **M****ommy**!? Mo-aaaaaiiiiiiii!"

I...I **can't **stay here. I can't do anything. I can't, I don't... what do I do? **What do I do!?** I… I can't listen to this!

Not gonna spend another **fucking **second here.

I bolted out of cover, not giving a damn where I was going, just so long as it wasn't **here**.

"'**GrrrrRrrRRRRRAAAAARRRHHH!'"**

Oh shit. They saw me! _"FUCK!"_ I don't think I've ever ran this fast in my life.

Hey... why does this give me the oddest sense of deja-vu?

Not looking back, I've nearly make it to a small neighborhood, I might be able to lose it there-

**SHAKE! SHAKE!**

**CRRRRRRRAAAACKKKK!**

"FUCK!"

A massive fissure opened up in front of me, knocking me over. And started spilling out this... black muk.

One of those monsters is almost right on top of me!

Yup! I'm panicking!

"No-no-no-no-no-no-No-No-**No-NO-NO-NO**!"

**"GRRRRRRAAAARRRHHHH-!"**

**SCREEEEEEEECCCHHHH!**

Both me, and the monster turned in time to see an out of control cop car that was on fire-

**-SLAM!**

* * *

_pain_

_Pain_

_PAIN_

_**PAIN**_

_**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN**_

Wh… What's…

"'H-Haack'!"

Blood. My blood.

It's… my blood.

_**PAIN**_

What… what happened?

_**PAIN-PAIN**_

Fire…

Right. That car.

_**PAIN**_

Something... doesn't feel right.

I feel…

There's something…

Oh. there's something sticking out of me.

_PAIN_

Are.. are those my-

_Pain_

oh… that's not good.

_pain_

i... i'm fading…

I can't keep my eye's open...

_Oh? Is that all?_

* * *

…

_If you are all we got… I might as well have gotten directly involved._

...N-nooo...! I... I won-

…_oh? Perhaps there is some hope for you. For us all. _

_Then again… none of us have much choice in this darkest hour. _

_No choice, but to try, and to hope._

_Prepare yourself._

* * *

…

…

…

H-huh? The pain… is it-

_pain_

**Ergh!**

Well… it's not as bad as before...

My body feels like it got hit by-

Oh… right.

I carefully opened my eyes.

The first thing I see is that it's dark out. Like it's early in the morning.

Am I still just waiting for the bus?

Did I just imagine all of that!?

Am I insane!?

Wait. No. This isn't the bus stop. Actually… I have no idea where I am.

I'm standing alone on an empty street. It's either late into the night, or early morning. I seem to be in the suburbs of… somewhere. Moving down the street a bit, I saw a street sign that wasn't using phonetic letters… where the hell am I!? For that matter, how did I get here? Maybe I'm dead? Can't be heaven though. Heaven wouldn't hurt to be in. In that case… am I in hell? Kinda figured hell would a little more on… y'know… on fire?

Ok, since the street signs are a bust, I'mma keep walking until I find someone. Odds are someone is around that speaks English. Only question is if they are willing to help a lost foreigner.

* * *

After about ten minutes of walking, I still couldn't find anyone. Apparently, there weren't many people occupying the streets this time of night. On an unrelated note, I found a still puddle of water.

Yup. That's me. In all my pathetic glory. Black hair, brown eyes, 5ft 11in, husky build. I'm told if it weren't for my eyes, and lack of facial hair, I'd be a clone of my father. I can see it, but there are a number of small differences beyond that.

Taking a look at my reflection, I could tell I looked as bad as I felt. Dried blood covered me in patches, although it looked like the bleeding had stopped. My sweatshirt/jacket was ripped to shreds, and the T-shirt beneath had a tear right where I had... somethingthatwillnotbenamedintheinterestofnotvomiting sticking out of me.

Come to think of it… I think that as soon as I got here all lethal wounds seem to have closed up, but for some reason there were still non-life threatening injuries left behind. Odd, curious, and annoying. I think I had some bones recently reset. I could feel that they weren't fully healed.. And were almost fragile at this point, and prone to breaking if I didn't let them properly heal. I had to be careful. Beyond that, I was covered in scratches. If I had to guess, it was from being roughed up by that car.

Oh… I was still carrying my backpack! It was hanging on to my by one strap. Quickly rummaging through the contents, I found everything still there. Besides books, I also kept my glasses here. I'm kinda nearsighted. But I don't always keep them on because paradoxically, they make things that are close to me harder to read. Still, it was comfortable knowing I had them. Besides my glasses, I also had about three bucks I usually have on hand to buy snacks.

Now you might be thinking, _"Why doesn't he just use his phone to contact someone?"_. Funny thing actually. I don't have a cellphone. Much less a smartphone. Can only afford one phone for the family. I was listening to that song earlier on an i-pod. Thankfully at least that was still with me. Although, unless there was a free wi-fi spot available I couldn't really contact anybody.

Glasses now on, I carried on my trek for the night. It seemed like it had been nearly an hour of walking, and I couldn't really find anyone outside. I think there were still some people in their houses, but I couldn't bring myself to walk up to one of them and disturb someone so late at night.

Ah. Social anxiety. Was wondering when you'd show up again.

Seems even in a situation like this my social ineptitude would fight to stop me from talking to someone.

Anyway, It seemed like I might be reaching the outskirts of town. On another note, it seemed like this town had a paradoxical architecture. The houses seemed Western in design. Especially the big probably wouldn't look out of place in an affluent European country. Yet the street signs implied that this was an asian city. It raised hopes that someone here spoke english, and questions about where the hell I was.

Maybe like there's korea/chinatowns in most big american cities, there could be western towns in certain asian cities? Like… Japan, and Korea?

Guess I don't know as much about the rest of the world as I thought I did. Documentaries can only teach so much I suppose. That and most American media I've seen tends to be Amero-centric. Actually, despite really wanting to know more about the rest of the world, the most down to earth exposure to distant lands I've seen so far has been watching this show with a guy called Bourdain.

So, in other words, I really don't know too much about operating in another country with a different culture, and different mannerisms. I mean, I've heard certain things about Japan, mostly due to being an anime nerd. I think the word for it is... otaku? I can only hope I can try explaining my situation sounding like a sane per-

_BZZZZZZZZZTBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTZBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_

H-huh?

I just felt like… there was static in my head?

I just turn around. I don't know why, I just... feel a pull.

There's a mansion. Strange… there wasn't one there a second ago. Maybe… maybe I just missed it?

It looked worn down. Like it hadn't been lived in for decades. But when I look at it I… I feel like-

_BZZZZZZZZZTBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTZBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_

"_N-No! Wh-What is this!?"_

I fight the urge to start walking towards it. Something's not right. Something is pulling my body towards that place.

One foot moved entirely on its own, despite my protests

Then another.

Then another.

Then another.

And so on until I'm standing in front of the place. Indeed, this old house seems like it's been through hell. Actually, kinda looks like the place was a warzone at some point. But still, I can't help but feel that I'm not alone. That there's… something, or someone here that wants me gone.

Come to think of it… all the sounds of the night. All the bugs, birds, and everything else that calls out in the night. They were silent. As if this suggestive force compelled them to leave as well. And this late at night, so far from the city, there was **true silence**.

It seemed both peaceful, and ominus. Back home there was always some sound or another. Even through the walls of our home, the wind, and the calls of night creatures could still be heard even the odd car passing by. This quiet… it just didn't feel right.

The force compelling me forward was gone. So I just stood there for a minute. The suggestive force telling me I **wasn't wanted** here. Telling me I **need **to leave this place.

Strange thing is, under normal circumstances, I'd agree wholeheartedly. Not out of fear. But because of the whisper. This force… I just know that before I'd simply leave without thinking about it. Without questioning the feeling. But that other force… the one compelling me forward, it made me pause to think about this feeling.

I stepped up to the worn-down door.

If I open that door, I'll be challenging what I know. It's an… itch. Like something that's been clawing at me for years. Like… a repressed memory threatening to surface. This moment… it will change me. I can't explain it. Deep down, some instinct is telling me that this is to be the beginning of something.

I raise my hand to the doorknob.

The suggestive force telling me that if I cross this boundary, I will enter a world that could destroy me. No. That **will destroy** Robert Orso as I know him. Yet… there was something beyond that. That if I entered this world, there could be something greater. This is the gate of mystery. The compelling force that brought me here. It is what's giving me this choice. It let go of forcing me, because what comes next, must be **my choice**. That it was to be **my choice**. And that if I was too afraid, there was nothing more I need do.

Heh… after everything that's happened within the last, what, two hours I finally get a choice here, and now?

So here it is. Red pill, or blue pill, eh? So much for another day of monotony.

I shake myself into focus.

I need to make this choice. I don't know what this has to do with everything so far… but I know it's important.

I could walk away. I could leave this crazy place behind. Pretend it never existed. Find help. Try to find a way home. And try to live a life knowing I left an opportunity like this behind. It would be safe. Probably the smart thing to do.

_Is that what you want? A hollow life? Knowing you could have sought what you wanted? You've always hated the idea of living a life of a nothing. It would be an inconsequential existence, but a normal, stable, unchanging one._

Or… I could go inside. And find what I want… what I **need **to know.

_Are you sure? The path you see before you is the path of death, and sacrifice. For with great victories, for with however many joy's, there will be nearly as many, maybe even more failures, and sorrows. It will be a full life. A satisfying life if you can make it one. But one marred with as much pain, and death as there will be excitement and purpose. Many live fulfilling lives without such things. Many feel as you do from time to time. This need to seek adventure, and excitement. It could pass. And if it does, you __**will **__come to __**regret, **__to __**hate **__this foolishness. The pain you could bring yourself and others. This choice will free you. It will enlighten you. But it will also destroy you in one way, or another._

_Choose __**wisely**_

…

…

…

"I… I choose…"

* * *

_End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (__二者穿一__) by Rokka (__六花__)_

**CrreeeeBAM!**

I jump as the old door collapses upon my touch. My heart leaping out of my chest.

_Welcome, Robert Orso, to the world of Magi. Time will tell if you've made the right choice._

* * *

**Aaaand, that's a rap for chapter one! I'd like to thank each, and every one of you for giving this a chance.**


	2. Stumbled Beginnings

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

* * *

"_Ponder and deliberate before you make a move."_

― _Sun Tzu_

_Theme Song- __Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines_

* * *

_Chapter II- Stumbled Beginnings..._

_Date ?/?/?_

_Time ? ?_

_Location ?, ?_

I take a second to look around. No one, and nothing has responded to my intrusion. With hesitation, I move into the old mansion.

**Creeeee…**

The old wooden floors creak at this. As if the house itself was declaring I would be harmed if I was careless. Taking a moment to calm myself, I step immediately into the building.

Funny thing is, if this place was still in good condition, I get the feeling it would still feel haunted.

It's really dark in here. Taking a second to adjust my eyes, I move deeper in.

The quiet... It's unsettling.

What am I looking for in here exactly?

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

Upstairs. I need to find my way upstairs. Walking down an… I guess you'd call this room an entrance hall? I find what I **think **is the living room.

Yeah, it is the living room. Fireplace. Big couch... Ripped up big family portrait?

Taking a closer look, even though I could tell it had faded with time, I could see that this seemed to be a really old fashioned european family. Huh. They seem kinda... familiar? There were two women in the picture alongside an old man. The… I'm guessing big sister here? She seemed to have found a way to make twin-tails look fancy.

There's some writing on the bottom… it's not really legible… 'Ed-something? 1929'.

This place hasn't been inhabited for about 90 years?

I look another look around. There was definitely a fight here. Some of the damage definitely doesn't look like it was the cause of time. These people didn't leave voluntarily. They were attacked.

European family… 1930's… were they chased out by the natives because of WW2? That would make this Japan right? Am I in Japan right now?

I shake off that train of thought. This is mere conjecture.

I move on until I find the stairs.

Well, shit. They got hit hard. Broken really. Big chunk of 'em collapsed in the middle.

Moonlight casting godrays on the stairs, I make my way up.

**Creeeee…Creeeee…Creeeee…Creeeee…Creeeee…**

I pause a moment. I'd have to take a small jump to make it to the next level. I'd have to be careful

"Here goes somethin…"

**Cree-CreeEEEE**

I pause just to make sure nothing broke in the leap... I'm good. Letting out a sigh of relief, I keep moving up.

Another hall. An opened suitcase spilled old clothes across the floor. It seems like someone was packing up, but had to leave their stuff behind. They knew this attack was coming, and were about to run, but didn't bail out in time.

Odd noone's come to clean this place up in all that time…

Walking across the hall, I find my way to another door. This time more cautious about their age, I open it gently.

Another oddity. This room seems to be lined with stones, and yet hasn't collapsed under the weight with the weakened support..

This room… it's filled with… a power.

Moving through, I could see the place was in an almost pristine condition (If you don't count the dust, and cobwebs), in spite of the rest of the house.

Hold on, on the floor… I've seen enough Fairy Tail to know a magic circle when I see one. Why would there be… no, that's not right. Maybe this family was into occult shit?

On a table to the left, I found something that caught my eye. I walked over to it to get a better look.

There was a sword. Or, more specifically, the blade of a Japanese style sword. What was odd about it, besides just being separated from the hilt, was that it wasn't rusted at all. Weren't blades supposed to get rusty if they weren't properly maintained? This one looked like it was as deadly as the day it was forged.

I pick it up to get a better look. The thing was… beautiful, for an object designed to kill people. There didn't seem to be anything special at it from a glance but I could tell it was of high quality. This wasn't a replica. It was the real deal.

Hm. Certainly added credence to the Japan theory.

Maybe it was some kind of ritua-

**CRRRRRRAAAASSSHHHH!**

"E-EH!?- OWWW!"

I just cut myself on the damn thing. Blood dripping onto the floor.

Fuck. I just hope I don't get tetanus…

I put the blade down, and get a better look at my-

"AA-ARRRRRGHHHHH!"

It- it fucking burns!

What was that thing!?

There-There was something on my hand-

Is that a tattoo!?

**whosh….**

H-huh? Was… was that wind-?

**whoooosh...**

It was coming from that circle-

**WHOOOOOSHH!**

Why do I feel… lightheaded?

**SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE**

"Oh shi-"

**CRACK**

"-**iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"**

**CRAAAAAACCKK!**

* * *

"*** *** *****"

w-wha?

_PAIN_

Argh. there you are pain.

I try to open my eyes. Its… It's so blurry. I think… is there someone there? There's definitely a figure.

"A** **u ok*y?" I focus in.

"I.. I think so… W-what happened?" everything clears u-

It's a girl.

A really cute girl.

And she's real close to me.

…

Ah. Social anxiety. You're back! Now with added hormones!

She was Japanese. Although she also seemed to have short, unkempt, platinum blonde hair, but with a touch of pink held together a the back by a black ribbon. Were… were those silver eyes? She was wearing one of those japanese dresses… Kimono was it?

Taking a step back for a second. I wasn't in the same room as before. In fact, there was a giant hole in the ceiling here. I think the floor must've collapsed beneath me when that wind started picking up.

I guess that would make this the base floor? Wait, no, the hole in the ceiling showed that I fell through at least two floors… which would mean I survived falling down two floors. Barely feel more pain than before, if anything I feel winded.

Damn. What does it take to kill me?

...on second thought, don't answer that.

"Ah good. I was actually starting to worry my master died within five seconds of summoning me. That definitely wouldn't look good on Okita-san." She says both relieved, and scoldingly at… herself? Is she speaking in the third person?

"Ah... um… right… wait. d-did… did you say m-master?" I stuttered out.

Master? What?

"Oh! Um, right. 'Ahem'" She backs up, and clears her throat, her voice shifting to sound deeper, and put on a serious expression. "I am servant Assassin Okita Souji. Here to answer the summons of the Grail. Tell me. Are you my master?"

…

"Wh-What?" k, so I'm confused.

Who is this girl?

What's this master stuff?

"Eh?" she is suddenly very confused too. "Did I say it wrong or something?"

"Um… I don't know? H-hold up a sec. Master? What are you talking about?" I try directing this towards an actual explanation.

"Oh. I guess you were a random pick or something? Do you… not know about the Grail War? Masters? Servants?" she tries probing me for what I do know.

Grail war?

As in… oh no.

Japan.

Strange forces.

Monsters.

And… a Servant.

I look at my hand.

Those were command seals. They were… actually kinda cool looking. Kinda looked like a blade cutting through wind.

"So you remember now then?"

I turn to the girl.

"I... think I get the gist of it." I say carefully. The situation I'm in starting to dawn on me.

"Ah, were all good then." She seemed relieved at this. "Then we can get to the war?"

Right. The Holy Grail War.

On paper, a conflict between 7 Masters, and their Servants. Servants being the spirits of long dead heroes contracted to serve their summoners. The goal being to be the last ones standing, and obtain the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish-granting device that can provide the winner with whatever their heart desires.

At least, that's what it is on paper.

Truth being, the Grail itself has long-since been corrupted by humans. Any wish made on the Grail would be twisted into some sick parody of what the winner wanted, like some kind of monkey's paw. That, and the fact that those decades worth of corruption will come spilling out of the Grail, killing thousands, are made worse by the fact that the Grail is also summoning Antiheroes, and Villains, and the powerful Mages fighting the war getting sick of no one ever winning (thus resorting to cold-blooded, underhanded tactics), and decades old conspiracies, this conflict has become an utter bloodbath. Last time it took place it ended in a disaster where thousands of people died.

And I just got myself, a normal human (not even a mage mind you) signed up for it.

I might be a dead man.

If there was any silver lining to this, it was that I knew how **a** war was supposed to play out. Not because I was psychic, but because I've seen it before. In the form of the anime Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (Hereby referred to as UBW).

How I got transported from the apocalypse, to a potentially apocalypse causing event was-

… actually. The two might have something to do with each other.

So what? More than just dimensional hopping, but time travel to the point before something bad could happen?

How did I get here? Unless there's someone in this reality capable of that sort of thing-

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Clocktower, an old Vampire sneezed unexpectedly. Screwing up plans to mess with the lives of some poor saps in another reality.

* * *

-I don't see how this was possible.

Getting back to me being in the war, I realize that I'm basically screwed 8 different ways.

No magecraft training. (Not even the half-assed training Shirou has)

No combat training. (So I can't pull a Kazuki)

No resources.

No backup. (Not counting the Servants themselves, which every master has by default)

No money.

No plan

No idea what I'm doing.

No idea if this is even the only route I'm familiar with.

See, the thing about the Fate/Stay Night series, is that though there are technically the same characters in every incarnation, they all take place in different timelines.

That's even assuming that this is even a Stay/Night branch! There's also Extra, Apocrypha, Zero, Phantasm, and god knows however many others there are in non-anime forms! The cannon of this series is fucking confusing!

And **THAT'S** even assuming this is even one of those branches our world knows about!

Not that any of that particularly matters. If this **isn't** UBW I'll be flying blind. I could be in the first series and have no idea what's going on, because UBW's the only one I've watched. The only reason I know the others are in separate timelines, is because that's what I discovered trying to learn what to watch next after I saw UBW.

I know some series tend to get convoluted with time, but Jesus Christ! Trying to understand things about the series with nuance is **insanely fucking difficult** when explanations for the lore are spread out across 50 different timelines! And often spoilers for different series exist in the wiki's trying to explain those things, often without telling where those things are explained in the **fucking** series!

I really like this series. I really do. But **GOD** is it a headache to try to understand! Especially if you enter the series into a sequel of another anime which isn't even available on the same streaming site you use, and that original anime isn't even the original thing! It's an adaption of a visual novel. Which brings me back to UBW, which is an adaption of an adaption of a sequel to a visual novel. A visual novel that is hours long, and impossibly boring to sit through when I've got shit to do-!

Ah- Ahem. Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there.

Suffice to say, I only **might** have a general idea of what's going on. So I can't even count on an ability to call on knowledge of the future of the war.

So in other words-

"...I'm so fucked."

"Uh… Master?"

I turn surprised to the girl.

Shit. Almost forgot she was here.

"S-Sorry miss, just coming to terms with what I just got "volunteered" for." I admit. Kinda disappointed in myself. That was really rude of me.

"So you really are a random pick then?" She nods in understanding. "Don't worry! Assassin-san will keep her master safe! Just count on me!"

Enthusiastic, and confident. Good. That makes one of us.

"Alright, guess I haven't got much choice then. I guess we're supposed to do introductions then?" I think out loud before offering my hand for a shake.

"Robert Orso… who are you?" I try the greeting, mentally slapping myself for making the greeting sound awkward.

"Oh! I'm Okita Souji. Did… you not hear me when I did the thing?" she responded, again sounding worried she might have messed something up.

"Y-yeah, I just… (I'm really not good at this am I...?)" I muttered that last part under my breath. "Look, can we just move on?" I finish feeling defeated.

"Very well Master. Perhaps we should change topics?" she suggested, much to my relief.

"(Oh thank god), Right then! Back to the war I guess?" I put on a thoughtful expression.

"That sounds good. So, what's our first move?" She asked, getting serious again.

Right. First move.

Let's think here… I don't really know what it is I'm supposed to do. I wasn't expecting to be thrown into a fight to the death when I woke up this morning.

I know a thing or two about tactics. I play strategy games often enough to get a basic idea about how wars are fought. The first thing on the to-do list on any of those games I play is to collect information about the area I'm in, and the enemies I could be fighting. God knows I haven't a clue about where, or even when I am. So the first thing I ought to do is gather information about where, and when I am. Going back to the whole Multiverse thing, there's, what? 50/50 odds I might not even be in** Fuyuki City** Grail Wars?

Actually, now that I think about it, there is one person that ought to know a few details about what's going on.

"Hey, Okita? What exactly has the Grail told you about this grail war?" If there's one person that would know the basics about the war here, it would be her.

"Let's see…" she put on a thoughtful expression, and began listing details off like a list, "The Holy Grail War is a conflict that has been fought five(including this one) times in a city called Fuyuki. There are seven Servants, and seven Masters, fighting to obtain the artifact called the Holy Grail so the master, and their Servant may obtain a wish. And the Church is supposed to be the mediators of the whole thing." She finished.

So, the odds of this being a familiar war just shot up! Now I just need to confirm the same people are involved and I'll feel somewhat comfortable about filling out a real survival plan.

Yeah, a survival plan. Not a plan to win. The 5th Fuyuki war was a rigged fight from the start. Even if we **could **defeat the other servants, the issue of the grail itself being corrupted would remain an issue I don't know how to solve. And believe me, I doubt I can realistically beat **Shinji **at this point.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. The ideas of using that wish to return home, or stopping that apocalypse from hitting **my **earth are appealing. But things being what they are, I can't use that thing without there being a big chance it will only make the situation worse.

One might ask why I'm bothering to fight then. _"Why bother to fight this war if you're so concerned about your life, and know there's no reward at the end?"_. Well, issue is, the only ways to give up your Servant involve either ordering them to kill themselves (Which I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with doing. Alive or not, Servants are people), or turning them into the Church. And I'm not stupid enough to hand **another **servant over to Kirei. Especially an Assassin.

So why not cut my losses and bolt for it? Well… another issue arises when, again, you realize I basically got nothing to work with here. I run for it here, I'll basically be a homeless, penniless foreigner in what may very well be the past. And if I try to get help in that regard by telling the truth, I'll very well be seen as a lunatic. Possibly even by magi.

There's also the fact that I've already screwed things up. Assassin was supposed to be a Sasaki Kojiro. And controlled by the Caster Servant. Not having him protect the Temple gates might completely change her strategy, thus changing the events of the war. The end results will change. And that is definitely **not **good for my health.

The UBW route might be the best route, or the worst route. That doesn't matter because that's the one I know. And ultimately, the end of the war in that one is far from a bad end. With the stakes involved… I'd rather fight to make sure this war ends about as well, or better than that one. At a bare minimum, I'll fight to make sure the world I'm currently in isn't actually hell.

So basically, I'm trapped between a rock, and a hard place.

If there's any chance of getting set up in this world, it's in this war. As deadly as it is, it's filled with as much opportunity as it is danger, grail or no grail.

Who knows? I might even be able to learn magecraft. After all, I'm apparently fueling a Servant right now. And I don't even feel much extra strain besides the pain I got left from earlier. If I recall correctly, that's something of an impressive feat. Or, at least, the sign of someone that has the potential to know what they're doing.

I'm honestly more of a sci-fi nerd than a fantasy one. Buuut, I'll definitely take to being a magic user.

...

Oh. Yeah. Forgot **that** little bombshell.

Magic is real apparently.

...wish I could say I was floored by that little surprise.

I'm more of an Agnostic than anything else, so suspending my disbelief isn't **too** difficult.

Putting a pin in that discussion.

Next move. It should be Recon. We need to know the date, and how long I got until the Grail War really kicks off.

I don't really think they gave us dates on a timeline for the war in the anime. If they did, I don't really remember. I **think** it mainly took place during the fall. That's just a guess based on context clues though.

How much time I have to get ready can significantly change my strategy. The most obvious change being how much time I have to prepare. If I'm **really **lucky, I might be able to learn how to do the basics in magic. I know it takes Magi **years** to learn their craft, but I can at least learn the basics so I won't be completely hopeless. Again, that's gonna be an issue onto itself.

Anyway, let's get this ball a'rollin!

"Reconnaissance. That's our first move." I looked to Assassin who, again, looked worried. "I-is something wrong?"

"You spaced out there. For a really long time. You sure you're ok Master?"

Um… honestly? I got no fucking idea.

"Y-yeah it's just…" I pause. "Thinking how best to explain. Give me a minute here..."

I can't really say I got a reason **not **to tell her what's going on. Well, besides trying not to look crazy. But really, I can't say I know what's sane, or not anymore.

Well. Truth will set you free.

"It's sort of complicated… and I don't really have all the details." I take a breath, and tell the story so far.

"You see, the clip notes versions of the story so far is this- about… two-ish? hours ago, my life was pretty normal. I was coming home from highschool, in America, when all of a sudden, the apocalypse happened. The sky was lit on fire, earthquakes, black goo spilling from fissures that lit other stuff on fire... y'know, the generic shit. Also there were these big demonic wolf things that-"

* * *

"'**GrrrrRrrRRRRRAAAAARRRHHH!'"**

"God- OH GOD NOOO**AARAGGHHHH!"**

**"**m-mom?** Mommy!?"**

I can't do anything.

* * *

"Didabsolutelynothing!" Repressing the guts… repressing the blood… repressing the smell… repressing the urge to vomit...

"A-Anyway~! After** that** I… think I got hit by a car or something… and now I'm here. Now that would be confusing enough considering this is halfway across the world, but it's even worse when you take into account that the date should be about 2005, but when I woke up this morning it was 2015. And on top of **that**, the Fuyuki Grail Wars, are an entirely **fictional** event. From an **Anime**. So unless I hit my head harder than I thought… I think I just jumped realities. Then I found myself on the streets, after which I wandered into this abandoned mansion then I found a sword, and after I accidentally cut myself on that broken sword, the floor collapsed beneath me, then I guess I ended up in the basement? Then you showed up, aaand here we are. (And that's what happened last time on Dragon Ball Z_)_" I finished.

Okita thought about my story so far, and came to a conclusion.

"...ok."

"... beg pardon?" I mean, I know why **I'm** buying any of this. I was there. And I'm really a 'go with the flow' kinda guy. Especially when I don't have any control of the situation.

I was at least expecting **some** resistance to the idea that I'm from an apparently dying alternative reality.

As for the whole summoning a Servant without intending on it, I suppose that while it is **improbable**, it's not **impossible**. After all, Shirou did not **intend** to summon Saber that night.

"Ok. I don't disbelieve you. After all, I suppose I technically shouldn't be here either." she explained, sounding content.

"What do you… oh right." For a moment there, I thought she meant she wasn't from this reality either. What I **think** she means is she's supposed to be dead. Servants are long **dead** heroes after all. Though the Grail does the heavy lifting of getting them here, it's only due to the Mana of their Masters that they continue to exist in the land of the living.

Like the great Memelord Shirou Emiya once said, _"People die when they are killed."_

Actually… on that note, who is she? I can't say I know the name Okita Souji. She's clearly a figure from Japanese history, or myth, but my education on the history of Japan is only really barebones.

I know in terms of Servants, there's probably Emperor Meji, that guy The Last Samurai was based on, and a bunch of guys from the Sengoku Jidai (the Japanese feudal era). Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hattori Hanzo, Oda Nobunaga. Those guys are the only Japanese Servants I would know. And only Hattori really fits the role of Assassin.

Let's think… she's a famous Japanese woman who fits the role of an Assassin… maybe she's some famous Ninja?

I'll probably ask about her when I get a moment.

"But I mean, I could very be lying. Why believe me?" I'd take this with a grain of salt at best.

"One. It doesn't matter. If you aren't telling the truth, and I don't see why you wouldn't, it doesn't change the situation, we will fight our way through this. Two. I know a thing or two about telling when someone isn't telling the truth." right. Assassin. Probably has a great deal of experience in psychology, or info gathering. "Three. I think you're afraid."

I felt that like a mini sucker punch to the gut.

Was I afraid?... Yeah pretty much.

I wasn't exactly pissing myself in terror. It was less being terrified of some big jumpscare, or someone pointing a gun at my head, and felt more like… you're behind on rent, and one more missed payment means you're on the streets, and the boss has been laying people off left, and right, and you got some relative (parent, kid) relying on you. Meanwhile the local Mafia is shaking everyone down, so you only get to keep some of what you manage to get, the streets have been getting more, and more dangerous.

In other words, my fear is based on the fact that I don't have **any** control over my life right now. Anxiety.

"You've been zoning out every few minutes with this look on your face saying you don't know what to do. Also, the cuts you got on your way down here starting bleeding faster after you realized what's going on, implying an increased heart rate." I look at a larger cut on my arm. She wasn't wrong. "I don't think you're capable of making up lies on that grandiose a scale without all the inflections of a liar."

Well, guess I got Japanese Sherlock Holmes on my hands.

"I'm that bad am I?" so much for good first impressions… now I'm guessing I'm always gonna come off as a coward then?

"If it were more obvious you'd have a sign pointing it out."

I was the picture of depression at the moment.

Perfect. Now I look like a coward in front of Japanese Sherlock Holmes.

...Shirolock Hittoromes?

"Hey! Didn't I say you shouldn't worry!? Just count on me!" Again, with the confidence…

It's almost contagious.

I'd feel a little more at ease knowing who my protector actually was though. Considering the competition.

Demigods.

Monsters.

Time traveling Heroes of Justice.

King God-damned Arthur.

Odds are she's at least powerful as them right?

...right?

"... alright (Not like I have another option anyhow)."

Can't exactly opt out of the war now. Can I?

"I'll trust you- No, I have absolute faith in you Assassin. Together, we'll carve a path to the end of thi-!

**Crumble-Crumble**

We both paused for a moment.

"... maybe our first move should be to get out of this death trap?" she asks a bit quieter.

"Y-yeah… good call. Come on, let's find the exit." I say just as something shiny catches my eye.

Now, I'm not exactly what you'd call an ADD poster child, but when I see something out of place, I can't help but focus on that detail.

Walking over to the disturbance I-

…

…

…

"Okita?"

"What's wrong master?"

"... I think our money problem might not be as serious as I thought."

* * *

Gemstones. Hundreds of them.

Enough that, if peddled right, can set us up for **at least** a year. **And** leave enough over to use in practicing magecraft. It became clear to me that this family either didn't believe in banks, or was using these stones for magic purposes, like Tohsaka. Either way, we were good in terms of being set up. So long as we found a place to actually sell the things.

Therefore, we were back to needing to do some reconnaissance. Learning all the useful locations in the city. For tonight however, we needed a place to set up a temporary HQ. The mansion simply wouldn't do. It was a hazard to be in. Though, we didn't explore the entire thing, meaning we might want to come back later to do a bit of… let's call it prospecting. No one had come to claim the stuff in over 90 years after all. Can't really call it stealing if the owners don't really value it. Or, at least, aren't around anymore to claim them. Furthermore, we needed some bandages. And probably some antibiotics. These cuts have probably been infected or something at this point, and that's the last thing we need right now. With no idea of whether Japan has free healthcare or not, we're probably going to have to look for a local drugstore. I'm just gonna have to hope that the over the counter stuff will do the trick if it's a worse case scenario (that being a serious infection).

Finally, food. I'm not exactly starving right now, but we're gonna need that, and some water at some point. Hence why we were back on the streets, hoping to find a map of the city or something else on the list. Not in any particular order, I'm not picky. So long as they get done.

Okita, meanwhile, was fascinated by what a modern city looked like. She muttered something I couldn't understand when she first spotted skyscrapers in the distance. It sounded almost bittersweet. Since she seemed to be having a moment, I left it alone.

Without a map, navigating the place was like charting a maze. The foreigners district thankfully had numbered streets though. And now that I had my glasses, I could see there was actually English written smaller under the Japanese.

The plan at this point was to go to the city and find one of the items on the list.

I can only hope nothin-

"Hehe, ((Mocking me in what's probably Japanese.))"

I freeze for a moment, and look around.

"((More Japanese?))"

It's coming from all around me- there.

A bunch of men walk out from behind street corners, looking menacing.

About, what? Ten-ish? I'm guessing gang members were apparently ambushing me.

I guess this is what I get for walking around the streets of the city at night huh?

"Okita, I don't suppose they're saying they want to welcome me to the city, are they?" I treaded carefully, hoping I was misunderstanding the situation.

"No. No they are not." She says with deadly seriousness.

The men started getting rowdy, apparently not liking me ignoring them.

"Well, looks like this your chance to show what you got. Just… don't kill them if you can avoid it." I only asked because I know it ought to be easy for a heroic spirit. And I don't really know if she's paragon enough to actually let em live. Don't get me wrong, if our lives were in danger, I wouldn't hesitate to give the order.

One of the men was about to charge me with a knife when all of a sudden-

**WHAM**

He was down! Okita moved almost faster than what a human ought to be capable of, and sent him spiraling to the concrete.

I could almost **hear** a deadly smile when she said-

"With pleasure, Master."

* * *

_End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (__二者穿一__) by Rokka (__六花__)_

.


	3. Crashing

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Belomor- I would have to say you'll have to brace yourself for a bit. While I wouldn't say Orso is gonna be a "sidekick", I would say he's going to be working directly with Emiya for a while, mainly for reasons explained here, and in later chapters. Though, and Spoiler Warning, they won't always get along.**

**Also, fair warning, bit of angst in this chapter. Actually, for a lot of the fic. Almost to Spiderman levels. You've been warned. **

* * *

_"My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people do not know."_

― _Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle_

_Theme Song- __Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines_

* * *

_Chapter III- Crashing _

_Date, ?/?/2004_

_Time, ?:? PM_

_Location, Fuyuki City, Miyama District_

_POV Shift- Okita_

The other men paused for a moment, stunned one of their guys got taken out so quickly.

"Stay back Master. This shouldn't take long." And like that, I was moving.

Two of the remaining nine collapsed in about five seconds. One more before the others seemed to get their shit together.

"((F-fuck the foreigner! Get that bitch!))" The leader shouted, not at all expecting this.

I smirked. This was gonna be a quick chance to stretch the new legs.

Three of them charged at once.

Three simple steps, and one was on the ground, while another was thrown against the last, knocking them both down.

Two more fall mere seconds later. Leaving the remaining two panicked, and about to make a run for it. I intended to enforce that sentiment.

I knocked the legs out from under the left one, and gave a kick to the head that threw him to the ground.

The last one, the leader, dropped his lead pipe as a weapon and ran like a coward.

I felt the urge to go after them, and allow my blade to taste their blood, but Master didn't want to risk harming them more than necessary.

The remaining conscious members of the group picked themselves off the ground and followed their ringleader. Carrying the less than conscious members with them.

Hmph. Barely even a warm up with this Servant body.

Sighing in disappointment, I relaxed my stance and turned to my Master who seemed to be trying to hide an awed expression.

Master. A rather unusual type of person so far as I can tell. Being from an alternate world aside, he seemed to be adapting to this situation almost **too **well.

I'll admit. I wasn't **100 **percent sure he was telling the truth about that. More around 60, or 70 percent. The Grail had given me information about something that magi call the kaleidoscope, or the multiverse. With that in mind, it wasn't **entirely **impossible. Though, I'm not exactly an expert on metaphysical crap. I kill things for a living. Still, it doesn't really matter. If anything it would be good if it turned out he was lying, or just wrong. That would mean there might still be a shot at my wish.

The idea that the Grail might be corrupted was… concerning. If he was telling the truth, and the Grail was basically a time bomb set to destroy the world, there was no way I'm letting that thing get finished.

Back to my Master, I'm not entirely sure what to make of him. Then again, I was just summoned, so it's not like I'd know everything about him right away. He seemed honest, which was good. Maybe not so much for mages, but it went a long way for just about everyone else. He also wasn't a trained warrior, which was, y'know, less good. But so far he seemed to take the **idea **of going to war well. Accepting he couldn't change the situation, and moving on to planning what to do next quickly. So he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He did seem cautious. Which in a way was also good, if he could handle it right. It meant he knew he was getting into something rough. He didn't have any illusions about how bloody this war can be. Still, even if he turned out to be a completely incompetent fool, I'm still his Servant. And I'll follow him to the bitter end.

I told him he could count on me, didn't I?

"So, Master, do my skills impress you?" I ask, sounding smug. I realize that it was just a bunch of normal humans, but what can I say? I'm a bit of a showoff.

"Y-yeah, that was... impressive! I mean, Servants are **supposed** to be way stronger than humans, but it was still cool to see!" He finished, **clearly** awed. And embarrassed to admit as much.

Then again, bashful embarrassment seemed to be his default emotion so far.

...

Dear gods, he wasn't a tsundere was he?

...

Oh the fun I could have with that...

Regardless, I'll bask in the praise.

"But ah-'ahem', we can't stay here. Odds are they'll be back with friends, and we really don't want to attract attention." He tried to redirect attention to our objective.

Right. Starting from scratch. Focus on one thing at a time. At the moment, the idea was to sell off a few of those gemstones so we can get a place to set up in temporarily, so we can plan from a base of operations.

It was simple enough. Though odds were that it was going to get much more complicated along the way.

"Sure thing. C'mon, there's gotta be a pawn shop or something around here."

* * *

_POV Shift- Robert _

Gotta admit, it's pretty embarrassing that the heroic spirit knows more about operating in this time and space than I am.

I really need to find a way to learn Japanese quickly. It's gonna be a pain always needing a translation. I'm really not good with languages. I've only just barely gotten slightly proficient in Spanish after **years** of trying to pick up the basics. I can only hope there's a thaumaturgical means of learning Japanese quickly, or this is gonna get annoying real quick.

But, on a good note, not only did we find people who aren't trying to beat me up, we finally got to sell off a lot of the gemstones. Took 'bout 15 minutes till we got to a part of town where people were still out. Another 15 to find a proper place to sell them. Had to spread em out among three different pawn shops with how big they were. Okita thankfully knew a thing or two about modern Japanese currency (thank you Grail!), so we probably got a good deal, especially since there wasn't any paperwork involved. Another plus, we actually got a map of the town. Gonna have to review that later.

All in all, we came out to what equates to about 30,000 American dollars.

Suffice to say my jaw hit the floor. I'd never seen that much money in one place before.

Still, We gotta be careful with it. Spent wisely, it could last more than a year. Spent lavishly…

Next step, getting a hotel. To keep pointless wandering short, it was another half hour before we were in a small motel in western Miyama.

… definitely gonna have to comb this place over with a UV light before I feel comfortable. Just a hunch. But, it's a cheap place to sleep for a night or two.

Back to the present, here we were in room 7, with a big map of the city sprawled out across a table, planning what to do next.

"Ok… we're about… here. If I'm remembering correctly, at least four masters live on this side of the river, with at least one in the foreigners district where we just came from, and one in Ryudo Temple. I know there **might** be one more, but I can't seem to find the castle on the map. All this means that if we're gonna try and reduce the risk of early engagement we gotta set up in Shinto. Though that comes with its own risk of being on Kotomine's side because his Church is about… here." I finish pointing out pointing to various places on the map.

"And this Kotomine is the troublemaker?" Okita asked to confirm.

"Oh yeah, big time. I mean, he's not so much the **cause **of the problem, as much as he's the one making it so much worse. To be honest, I have no idea if he's the one that made the Grail corrupt, or if he just didn't do anything about it. But, the thing is, he **knows **about it, he's supposed to be responsible for **stopping **it, and he's actively trying to let the disaster happen. So um… yeah. If we get him outta the picture stopping this thing will be a whole lot easier. Him being outta the picture doesn't stop this thing, but there won't be anyone actively trying to end the world." I finished explaining his deal.

"And you say he has two Servants?" She continues.

"Well… I know he's had Gilgamesh since the 4th war, so he's around. But I also know he stole Lancer from another master. Whether he's done that yet is up in the air." I began to think I might be able to stop that from happening, but I had no idea when, or where it happens. Actually, for that matter, I have no idea when I am in relation to the war. Based on the calendar in the lobby, it's currently the 16th of January. So even if this was before that event, I'd have no idea how to stop it. "But you'd best not underestimate him either. Apparently he's an "Executor". A real Alexander Anderson type. Er… that means he's insanely strong for a human." I awkwardly explained the reference.

Gilgamesh… if anything he was the main problem, although it's doubtful he'll show himself until later. If Kotomine can be dealt with now, he'll lose the major source of Mana keeping him fueled. Reducing his threat level. He'd still be, in technical terms, a huge fucking problem, but he'd be more manageable.

"So, in short, we can't exactly beat them like any other Master/Servant battle. I'm confident in my abilities, but facing against all three of them…" she let that hang for a moment.

I get what she means. Honestly, I wouldn't expect her to face off against Gilgamesh and win. The dude practically manhandled **Heracles** when the Berzerker had an ideal Master. The only way Shirou won was because his reality marble served as a direct counter to the Gate of Babylon.

Then there's Lancer, Cu Chulainn. His Gae Bolg is basically a guaranteed one shot kill under most circumstances. The only reasons Saber, and Archer got away was because they had absolutely bullshit defenses.

Even if Okita is supposed to be some sort of Japanese Wonder Woman, I don't think she'll be able to face all three of them at once while trying to keep me alive.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't know what she is.

"Speaking of, what exactly are your abilities? It would be good to know what exactly we're working with here."

"Oh, want to know a bit about me do you?" oh uh. I think I might've just stroked an ego.

"W-Well I didn't exact- you know what, yeah. I meant your stats, but I've never heard of an Okita Souji before. Japanese history isn't exactly my bread and butter. And the mythology is a complete unknown." Figured since we had the time, I might as well get a picture of who I'm gonna be working with for the foreseeable future.

"That's fine Master. Just means I get to impress you with the legend of the Genius Swordswoman, First unit Captain of the Shinsengum- **'cough'**!" Did she just cough up blood? She's starting to go into a coughing fit!

"W-what happened!? Are you ok?!" I tensed up. Were we under attack by some kind of anti-Servant biological warfare?!

"Y-yeah 'cough' I'm fine. Don't worry about it. It happens." She tries to cover it up with an obviously strained look of 'it's all fine here!'.

"Randomly coughing up blood just… happens for you?" not buying it. Nope. No fuckin way.

"Y-yeah… look it's… not a big deal… it won't affect my ability to fight. I promise."

I was about to call her out on it, but… she just had this… sad/determined look, and it made me hold my tongue for now. I'll bring it up if it happens again.

"'sigh…' Oookay. Let's... put a pin in that. If you're up for it, I'm still interested in your story." I wasn't gonna push it if she was having issues.

"That's just fine! I said I was ok didn't I?" She put on a confident front that I couldn't deny.

… ok, I could. She just coughed up blood.

"Alright, let's start with when, and where you're from." I started her off with the beginning. Might as well get a full picture.

"Well, to start, I was born in a place that was called Edo at the time, though I think it's called Tokyo these days. It was the capital of the Shogunate at the time. I was born in 1844 into a Samurai family." Well, can't get em' all right can I? "When I was nine, I started training with a sword under my sister's father in-law. Got so good with it I became the coach of the dojo. Eventually, me, and some friends of mine were called to serve as bodyguards for the Shogun. That… didn't work out at first, but we later formed a special task force called the Shinsengumi."

"So you're like, a famous secret service person or something?" I asked seeking some clarity.

"I don't know what secret service is." She deadpans "I think in modern terms it's like… we were a special forces police group?" She offers as an explanation. "We were responsible for public order, and stopping plots against the Shogun."

So yeah, kinda sounds like Homeland Security, SWAT, and the Secret Service, all wrapped into one is what I'm getting? Actually… with what I understand about the shogunate (being basically the guy in control of the armies), I can assume they were a militarized police force.

… I don't know how I feel about it. I'm fine with a powerful police force so long as it is regulated, and has checks on its power. Otherwise…

Just look at many other pseudo-police forces throughout history under direct command of military dictators. The Gestapo for example. Though, that may be an extreme example.

After all, many things can sound a bit off without context.

"I feel like I'm not getting the full picture here. Why would the Shogun need such a task force? I thought Japan was mostly stable at around that time?" Based on the fact that they managed to catch up to the Western world in terms of technology without collapsing (as opposed to China, and most other east Asian countries) would suggest as much.

"Well… it's a long story, but the short of it is, not a lot of people were happy about the Shogun at the time for a lot of reasons. Things really started going bad after a handful of American ships forced the borders open in 1853, and a lot of people thought the Shogun had become weak, and many more did not like the idea of letting barbarians into the country." she began the story.

Hold on… I remember hearing about this on Youtube. John Green's show, CrashCourse, mentioned Mathew Perry forcing Japan's borders open for whaling, and trade. Kind of a cringy mess, imperialism…

Yeah, forget what I said, with how isolated Japan was before, it's no surprise this might lead to instability

"It was a politically charged time. Everyone, including the Emperor, had an opinion. And if you weren't with someone on the issue, you were against them. Things were starting to get… violent. And it only got worse when the Emperor started politically opposing the Shogun. Then the anti-Shogunate factions had a figure to rally behind. In 1863, the Shogun went to Kyoto to talk to the Emperor about it, but since Kyoto was the Emperors city, he needed a group of bodyguards. He gathered together around 250 Ronin to form the Rōshigumi. After it turned out the guy he got the lead the group supported the Emperor, there was… let's call it some drama. People that supported that guy left. And the people that stayed formed the Shinsengumi. I was one of them…" she had a distant look of nostalgia. Remembering what must've been some interesting times.

"After that, we began serving our role as policemen. We **really **became famous after what people started calling the Ikedaya incident, where we conducted a raid that stopped a major anti-Shogun plot to burn down Kyoto, and kidnap the Emperor. I was the captain of a unit in that incident."

Yeah, something like that would definitely cement one as a legend. Imagine if some people hated letting immigrants into the southern border so much they planned to burn down D.C, and use the chaos to kidnap the president.

Actually, that vaguely sounds like the plot of Olympus Has Fallen.

"(… does that make Okita Gerard Butler?)" I wonder…

"Who?"

"Ah... (Di-did I say that out loud?) Um… n-n-nevermind!" I stammer. "So, all in all, you're famous for being an officer of a police force that stopped a big plot to burn down a city?"

"There's more to it than that. But if you really wanted to cut it down, I suppose that would be alright for a summary lasting about one sentence. That also almost completely glosses over my part in all of it, so I guess you could say that was just setting up the story of my life?" So, more of a synopsis of the setting, than of her?

"Well… maybe in the interest of time, do you think you can give me the abridged version for now? I think we should direct this back to the war soon." I think I can get a general idea from there of what I'm working with.

"Sure. What made me stand out among the others was my sword skills. Most people tend to remember me as one of the best swordsman in the force. If anything I should really be a full Saber right now… but I can still see me as a double classed Assassin with all the assassinations I took part in." A double class?

"What do you mean double class?" never heard the skill myself. Although the name seems kinda self explanatory, I thought Servants could only be summoned into one of the seven classes though...

"You can just check my stats you know? Any Master should be able to do it. Just focus on the connection between us." So says the tutorial NPC.

Focus on the connection?

I try clearing my head so I can feel around for something like that.

With everything going on I can't say I felt all that differe- wait. There it is. It's like… some kind of pull. Directing something to her. The closest sensation I can describe it as would be the feeling of blood being slowly drawn, just without the needle.

**Augh**. **Hate **even thinking about those things…

Focusing on the connection I saw-

* * *

**Servant- Assassin**

**True Name- Okita Souji**

**Master- Robert Orso**

**Sex- Female**

**Height/Weight- 158cm/45kg**

**Alignment- True Neutral**

**Strength- C**

**Endurance- D-**

**Agility- A+**

**Magical Energy- E**

**Luck-C**

**Class Abilities**

**Magical Resistance- D+**

**-Resists mid level modern Magecraft, and Servant Magecraft ranked under D+.**

**Riding- E**

**Can ride most common modern vehicles with ease.**

**Presence Concealment- C**

**Undetectable to modern humans. However Magi with particularly powerful detection magic can find her if they already know she's there. Can get the drop on some Servants as well.**

**Personal Skills**

**Double Summoning: Assassin/Saber- C**

**In life she fit both roles. As a Heroic Spirit she draws skills from both classes as an Assassin.**

**Eye of the Mind (False)- A**

**A natural talent in perceiving danger, based on an innate 6th Sense.**

**Weak Constitution- A**

**Okita is accompanied by the risk of a sudden status drop at anytime of every action. Characterized by the symptoms of the pneumonia she was saddled with in life. The probability of risk is not high, but when it is invoked in combat, it is immense.**

**Reduced Earth- B**

**A technique to cut down the distance between opponents instantly.**

**Lightless Three-Stage Thrust- A+**

**A technique utilized by the extraordinary genius swordsman Okita Souji. Consisting of a First Thrust, Second Thrust, and Third Thrust, Rather than "almost simultaneously", the thrusts occur "all at the same time." For an instant, the unleashed First Thrust, Second Thrust and Third Thrust "exist at the same time" and at the "same position." Even if the First Thrust was blocked, the Second and Third Thrusts would be at the same position and break through.**

**Noble Phantasms**

**?**

**?**

* * *

Ah… um… what?

Information overload… gimme a second here…

Right. In the series, Rin looked at Berzerker and projected a bunch of stats. Is this what it's supposed to be like?

Reading it all… it looks like her greatest strengths are in her speed, and skills.

She also seemed to be a true neutral… so more morally grey than most militarized police forces? I think I can work with that. I tend to consider myself more of a neutral good than anything else...

"The presence concealment… that's definitely gonna be useful. I don't know how well that would match up against other Servants perception though… it **says** it works against **some** Servants, but that's not really helpful…" I begin listing what I see aloud, "Eye of the Mind seems intere- wait. What's this about a weak constitution!?" nervousness creeping in...

"Um… would now be a bad time to mention I'm randomly overcome with illness?" she asks in trepidation.

I have a Servant that could at any time collapse due to illness.

…

…

…

I'm fucked.

**Slam**

**Slam**

"M-Master!?"

**SLAM**

"...It's okay, just… slamming my head against a wall. ….~Sooo~, anything else I gotta know?" That last part was a little too high pitched.

"Um… in the interest of **your **health, I'm choosing to hold my tongue." she delivers her answer cautiously, then shakes off the trepidation. "Like I said. You **can. count. on. me.** My condition won't be a concern."

Motherfucker, it's **A ranked Weak Constitution**. Not a fucking common cold!

Perfect! Just fucking perfect!

Now, on top of having to be concerned for my own wellbeing, I'm going to have to look out for her too! This is basically a case of the blind leading the blind!

"... 'sigh'... It's fine. It's fine. It's fiiiine." it's not fine, "We'll just… work around it or something."

"If it's all the same to you, I think we should get back to talking about the war?" she seemed to phrase that as a question of a question.

"...sure… 'sigh'. Okay. Where were we?" That derailed us harder than Jumbo.

"I think we were talking about dealing with this Kirei?" Aaaand we're back on track.

"Right. Kirei… he's got two Servants… and is trying to destroy the world for generic villain reasons. I don't know if there's a way to prove that to other Masters… the only way they found out last time was when he actively set out to get the Grail a'going. And by that time there were already several casualties. He had Gilgamesh kill Berserkers Master to use her heart as the core of the Grail, and tried killing Tohsaka, and later Matou to use their bodies as vessels for the Grail. So the only way to prove they're up to something is to wait around until they already got the ball rolling. And even if there was hard-proof they've done something, it's under better guard than the Krabby Patty secret formula."

"The what now?"

"Point is-"

"(Oh, being ignored.)"

"I don't see if there's a way to get word out to anyone else that this Grail War is a sham. The only one that **might** listen without hard evidence is Saber's Master, Shirou Emiya. And even if he **didn't** think I was a lunatic, starting out in the war, he's almost as useless as I am..." At least **he** actually knows how to do magic…

…

…

…

"(Just what the hell am I supposed to dooo?)" I moan with my head in my hands.

… I've got nothin.

…

...

"So, are you done then?" she asks after a minute of silence.

"Hm? Done? I guess so. I'm out of ideas. I mean… what am I supposed to do-?"

"Out of ideas? I haven't heard one. Mainly just **complaining** about what you **can't** do." She states, disappointed.

"... Y-yeah. You're right. I just… I don't know what to do!" The anxiety is still there. "I can't do magic, I-I can't fight… I can't run a damn mile! I should be **fucking** **dead**! I'm basically useless! And I don't know what to do-!"

**Whack!**

processing... processing...

…

…

restarting...

"T-Thanks... I think I needed that." Just needed a light smack to the head, and I reset.

"'sigh'... sit down with me for a second Master." Okita sits down on the bed.

…

I sit right down next to her and take a breather.

…

"Have… you ever been in a fight before today?" she asks.

…

"...no." I've been fought before though… but nothing like... earlier.

"... you're not useless." **Lies**. I'm **breaking down** on the **first fucking day. It's pathetic**_**\- **_"I know how it feels. Listen Orso… I got this terrible skill because I'm remembered as the genius swordsman that didn't die fighting. I died because of pneumonia. After I collapsed, I got stuck in bed the rest of my short life. I watched my friends go on, fight, and die, while I withered away, unable to do anything. I know that feeling. I felt it everyday in that hospital. You're** not** useless. **You**, are smart, you are determined, and you're not backing down from this fight, I can see it….. Combat fatigue affects everyone. Just step back. Take a breath. And get some rest. Because tomorrow, you're coming back to the drawing board... And I **know** you'll get it right."

…

She gets up to leave.

"I'll be standing guard outside"

She exits the room.

"...…" I sat there for about ten minutes collecting myself. And another three reprimanding myself for essentially throwing a tantrum.

_"... Smart and determined huh? Let's hope she was right about that. Besides, it's not everyday I nearly die…"_

I slept for about 8 hours that night. The most I've slept in months.

Well… might as well. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

* * *

_POV Shift-Okita_

When she was a coach at the dojo, she had to give a fair number of pep talks. But back then, she was working with mostly trained warriors. This Orso… for now, he's a scared, confused civilian. But there is something else to him. He's choosing to fight his way out of this, knowing he's overpowered. Whether this was a rash decision by a scared confused civilian, or… something else, only time would tell.

Still, he'd done enough for a first day, so it's for the best he gets some rest now. Besides, tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.

* * *

_Interlude_

…Ahhh….. the Grail stirs…

A Servant has been summoned. He was certain. Soon the city will be consumed by the war.

The man could only smirk. Confusing a late-night parishioner he was speaking to. He apologized, and had to ask them to leave in order to prepare, and excused himself to the backroom.

"What hedonistic pleasure amuses you so Kirei? It must have been particularly fascinating if they came this late at night to confide in you." A golden haired, crimson eyed man in casual, but fashionable clothing inquired of the priest.

"This was not due to a mere confession Gilgamesh. Surely you can feel it as well?" Kotomine rhetorically asked his Servant.

"Hm, indeed. Another Servant has been summoned. And you are one step closer to your goal. And yet… there is something else to this. As if… something has shifted in the world." He paused for a moment to consider it, his clairvoyance only hinting at the new carnage to come, then grinned in joy. "This may prove to be far more entertaining than I previously believed."

Kirei could only agree. And was about to try and pinpoint exactly what the King of Heroes meant by a change when-

**Ring-Ring**

**Ring-Ring**

He took a moment to answer the phone. This was the line reserved for official business.

When he picked up, his grin nearly grew into that of a lunatic.

Tomorrow, **she** would be here.

Bazett. An old acquaintance from his executor days. She believes they are friends. She believes she is to be the Master of Lancer. She is in the city tonight. Tomorrow they shall meet, as 'friends' do.

Tomorrow, she will be dead. And her Servant shall be his.

When the call was over, he laughed harder than he had in months at a joke only he, and perhaps Gilgamesh, could understand.

And he knew what pleasure it was that had entrapped him that night.

It was anticipation.

Tomorrow, was going to be a **very **busy day…

* * *

_End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (__二者穿一__) by Rokka (__六花__)_


	4. Setting The Stage

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Merry nondescript holiday season to all! And to all, a happy new year!**

**Normally, I wait until the next chapter is ready to release the next one... but since it's nondescript holiday season... I think I can make an exception. Enjoy everyone! And have an amazing holiday!**

* * *

"_To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."_

_\- Lao Tzu_

* * *

_Chapter IV- Setting The Stage_

_Date: Saturday, 01/17/2004_

_Time: 8:17 am_

_Location: Fuyuki City, Miyama District, Ayame's Motel_

…

…

…

..wh-

...wha?

Nrrrarrgh….. I hate this bed. It feels worse than usual…

I tear myself from the sleeping world, and force my eyes to open.

It's a fight to stop my body from pulling me back to bed, and back to sleep.

Whatever. Not like I got a choice anyway. It should be Wednesday… probably. I can't really tell. The days really blend together, and I'm only partially awake at this point.

Either way, gotta force myself into the routine. I probably got school today.

I sit up on this awful bed aaand-

"This isn't my room." is the first thing my sleep addled mind noticed. The second thing was-

"That wasn't a dream." the third thing was-

"Ah, Ohayōgozaimasu Master!" Okita peeks her head into the room.

"...ffffuuuuu-"

* * *

_Theme Song- __Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines_

* * *

Twenty minutes later, I was showered, and sitting across from Okita at the Western style table in the next room. Unfortunately, I didn't have a change of clothes. So I was still wearing the torn up crap from yesterday.

I was not completely functioning without coffee, so, I made due with some tea that seemed to be complementary with the room. English Breakfast I think.

"Ok. Let me start off by saying,** I'm sorry**." I apologized with my head down in disappointment with myself. "It was wrong of me to dump all of... **that**, on you. Yesterday was… it wasn't easy, but that was no excuse."

"It's fine Master. Really. Just… don't be so hard on yourself. I can't **exactly** say from experience… but I can say that even though I was trained my entire life, the first time I was in a fight for my life… it's a feeling most aren't completely prepared for. Anyway, all's forgiven!" she exclaims, all cheery, "But if it's all the same to you, I'd like to know what we're supposed to be doing next?"

"Right... Planning. Grail War. Stopping Gilgamesh. Stopping Kirei… Greaaaaat…"

"Master?" I turn to Okita. Who was now wearing a more serious face. "Don't get caught up. Just focus on what you need to do."

Just focus on what I need to do.

Focus.

What do I need to do?

Ultimately I need to disable the Grail.

Blow it up? So far as I know, most of Okita's abilities can't do it. The only person I know for sure that can is Saber, and she's… she **can** be convinced, but it won't be easy. That, and if the Grail appears in a populated area like in the 4th war, it will likely kill hundreds.

If it comes down to it, and it's either those hundreds, or the rest of the world I'm currently in…

In other words, I need to turn it off, or stop it's completion without destroying it. I don't know how to do that right now. I'll have to do some digging. **Next Question!**

What stops Gilgamesh?

Emiya. He's the only person I know with an effective counter to the Golden asshole. So, I either need the one here and now, **or** I need the future one contracted to Rin.

Both carry their own concerns, risks, and considerations. And pursuing an alliance with one may cancel the possibility of allying with the other.

Still, I need to **find** them first. **Next Question!**

How do I stop Kirei?

Well, Lancer is one option. Buuut I suppose any Servant would do. Ultimately, the man **is** just human. The big concern I have is the plans he set in motion, and the ally's he's gained, or could gain, rather than the man himself.

So, the Kirei plan is mainly just moving him into a vulnerable position, away from his Servants. Unfortunately, the man has no reason to move out of that Church early in the game. Especially without safeguards. I may have no choice but to wait him out.

Actually, that might be a good thing. Striking first against him, when he's the overseer of the war, would only draw suspicion from the other Masters. And not onto him. And right now, his word is better than mine.

So, the Kirei plan is mostly just going to be waiting for **him** to spring his plan into motion, and being ready to react when he does. Nothing I can do immediately but-

**Play along.**

… that might not be a bad idea. If I start acting out early, start probing into where I shouldn't be, it attracts attention. And likely not any good kind. Especially if I don't really know what I am looking for. If I play the part of a Master. If I pretend to be another character in this play, it will lure Kirei into a false sense of security. And give me a chance to set up my own plans to stop him behind the scenes.

As a Master, I will have an opportunity to form an alliance with either Tohsaka, or Emiya. And get the Unlimited Blade Works on my side for when the time comes. And be able to… direct them into seeing him for what he is.

Kirei believes all the Masters are actors in his play. That he is in complete control. That he knows every factor. They aren't. He isn't. He **doesn't**.

I know my enemy. I know his plan beforehand. He doesn't even know I exist. I am simply Master of Assassin. Not an enemy aware of his goal.

I can tear his plan apart.

And maybe. Just **maybe**. I can stop some unnecessary deaths.

Souichirou, the people Rider and Caster hurt, Illya.

... actually, when you think about it, the death toll was rather tame this route, despite the stakes. So long as you don't count the already dead Heroic Spirits.

"For now, our plan is to play along. Kirei thinks everyone is playing **his** game. That **he** is in control of the outcome. We'll let him think that, until it is time to strike. When he is alone, when he is exposed, we will end him. We will not give him reason to believe that we already know. This also gives us the opportunity to ally ourselves with the greatest counter to Gilgamesh, Emiya. Whichever one is easiest to access. As for the Grail itself, we simply **do not** allow them to complete it, and thus force them to make a move on our terms. This is also something that can be done with allying with the younger Emiya, as he seeks to end the war himself, for his own reasons. That, or allying with the Einzbern Master, and stopping them there… but that's a whole **other** issue." I paused to take a breath, and think on what our immediate next step is.

"Right now, we act as a standard Master-Servant pair does. We pretend to assume nothing is wrong, and register at the Church. This also lets us confirm a few things. I have a few questions for the priest anyway that only he can answer." mainly how much longer we have to prepare, "After which we shall perform recon. Set ourselves up, and determine which Emiya is easier to gain access to. Assuming we do have time, I need a crash course on magecraft. Evidently, I can do it. I'm powering a Servant after all." Oh yeaaah… magic. That's a thing. Letting that sink in… "Aaaand that's about it for now."

**Clap-Clap-Clap-**

I turn to Okita again, who is currently celebrating.

"Yes! I knew you had it in you!" I'd normally go crestfallen at this. Said by anyone else, it would seem patronizing, by her it came off as sincere. I could only smile, embarrassed.

"Well… Jury's still out on that.." honestly, I'm not **always** that bad. That was… just a **particularly** bad day. "On that note… I think before we do that, we're going to need to run a few errands… namely taking care of this." I tug at my ripped up clothes. Can't show up to Church like this, can I?

* * *

Three hours later, and we were out on the town. The Shinto shopping district to be exact. And I was now wearing something at least a little bit more presentable. Black flannel shirt over a red tee shirt. I have no idea if that's fashionable or not, but it's what I tend to wear.

"Alright, I guess I'm all good here. I think the map showed the Church was that way, so let's rip off this bandaid… O-oookita?" when I turned to see her catching up to me, I felt the heat rise immediately to my face.

She went off a few minutes ago, felt the need to switch up her own look. Apparently, kimonos weren't casual wear, who knew? What she was wearing now was a loose white blouse with something pink beneath it, with navy blue leggings.

"You okay Master?" Okita…teases? I think that's the tone. Am I being messed with right now?

"Yes, I'm fine… (you look good by the way...)" I say that last part as quietly as possible. But apparently, she had super hearing, and twitched in surprise. Then smiled again. "A-Anyway-! I think it was this way, forward! March!" I lead us in what I think is the direction of the Church.

"Hai Master!"

I could see that dark clouds were rolling in from the direction I said we were heading. It looked like a snowstorm was coming soon. At least, that's what the newscaster proclaimed earlier. We were about ten minutes from the church when-

**Grumble-Grumble**

W-What was... oh.

"... you ~suuure~ you're ok there Master?" Yup. **That's **teasing.

"Oh, uhhh, yeah, I just..." I try to shrug off the feeling, but I'm cut off by-

**Grumble-Grumble**

"...I... haven't eaten in a while…" I'm only human **ok**? Only the tea was complimentary...

Okita starts looking around for something for a few seconds, then grows a smile.

"Come on, I think I've found an old favorite."

* * *

After collecting a bag of… something, from a street vendor, we picked a spot in a nearby park to take a bite out of… er...

"So um… what exactly are these things?" I'll eat just about anything put in front of me. In fact, I'll try anything at least once, but I like to know what exactly I'm putting in my body. I'm not **exactly **a health freak, but the only reason I haven't completely ballooned out with my activity level is because I don't let crap in my body.

I was holding what seemed to be five dumplings on a stick in my hand, covered in what might be some kind of caramel sauce from the look, or something soy based on the smell.

"Dango!" Okita exclaims between bites of her own stick, "They're real good! They're basically sweetened rice balls. The ones I got you are Midarashi. The sauce on em are sweet, and salty at the same time, give it a try!" She really seemed to like the things. I'll definitely give em a try.

Hm… based on the description, I'm picturing nougat with salted caramel sauce?

Taking a probing bite now…

Savoring… Savoring…

Huh.

"...I can see why you like em." they're like… the rice is definitely there. The texture is chewy… but not overly so. Yeah, the dango themselves are just like she said. Slightly sweetened balls of rice. Not sweet like the cavities in wrappers we call candy.

Ah, lolli**pops**, also known as **cavities on a stick**...

The sauce was… again, like she said, sweet and salty. With the viscosity of fresh caramel, but the taste seemed more of a soy glaze.

"Right? When I was alive, at least once a week, I got some from a vendor just down the street from our station. This guy, Yukihara? He usually had this kind, Sanshoko, even though it was usually a blossom festival thing. I loved going there when my shift was out…" hm, she seems… particularly relaxed for a Servant.

Then again, what I know about them is from their time in the anime (Which mainly consisted of fighting, and talking philosophically), and their legends. Small talk about food preferences is one of the things I'd never imagine having a talk with a hero about.

Also, it was kinda weird hearing such a person talking about their shifts at work. Kinda brings an air of normality to them-

"Of course, that was before Kondo found out he was a spy and we had to kill em… I heard it took stabbing him fourteen times before he finally went down… 'hehe', he was a fighter." she remembers nostalgically.

Or… maybe… not?

Anyhow, the dango were pretty good, and would hold me over for a few hours.

I finished mine soon enough, and we were back on the road.

* * *

We were here.

The Kotomine Church was… actually a lot smaller than I thought. Then again, it basically only takes one guy to run the thing.

"Be careful Master. If you're right, you'll be stepping right into the Lion's den." Okita warned me.

She couldn't come in with me. Grail War etiquette. No bringing weapons into the home of the supervisor. Fair enough I suppose.

I nod to my Servant, who vanishes into particles. Presence Concealment in action. If something went wrong in there, she'd **try** to rush in and save me, but there really wasn't much she could do if Kotomine has Gilgamesh in the wings.

Taking a breath, I step into the chur-

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

I had to shake of this feeling… this… pressure. Must be something magic.

Yeah, that must've been whatever that feeling in that mansion was.

I push the door open to the Church, and… it was pretty much what I expected. A standard Catholic Church. But, there he was, in all his deviousness.

Kotomine Kirei. Currently speaking with one of the parishioners of the Church. He paused to look over to me.

I put on my best business face, and flash my command seals. That says enough, and he says a few words to the woman, who proceeds to walk out.

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-**

As she walks past me, we both notice something off, and turn to the other.

They were shorter than me by at least two inches, but I still felt short in stature by comparison. She was wearing a business suit, but I got the feeling she could move around in it just fine.

She was a Magus. I can't say how I know, I just do.

She glared at me… no. That wasn't a glare. She was analyzing me. This was a trained fighter.

I was doing much of the same. And I wasn't sure what more to make of her. I know she's dangerous, but that's about it. Can't really get an adequate reading on her abilities.

"Bazett, I'd like to remind you that the Church is supposed to be a **neutral** location. Do you really want to be remembered as the Master that broke the truce before the war even started?" the priest warned. Wow, that voice. That was… not what I remembered in the dub…

"Um…Kirei? I'd appreciate it if you didn't go around telling people these things?" the woman, Bazett, growled. Upset the man just blew whatever cover she might have had.

To be fair, I assumed she was probably a Master. If the Masters in this war remained the same as the one I saw… she was likely the Master of Lancer.

Hm. Looks Irish. Vague hint of an accent too. Makes sense.

Then again, if Masters summoned their Spirits based on their heritage, I'd probably have summoned either an American, or Italian spirit.

This also meant I was looking at someone who would be dead soon.

…

Feels… a bit cold in here…

"Um, Bazett? You both just figured it out on your own. Now go along. We'll meet later after **it **is done." he told her in an almost condescending voice.

"Um, Kotomine? I **don't** appreciate you taking that tone with me." She talked back.

"(Am I interrupting some kind lovers quarrel right now?)" I mumbled under my breath.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though they both heard that, and turned to me.

Oh shit, super hearing is spreading! Quick, someone! Call the CDC!

"... shutting up now."

"...on that note, we should continue this later. We can… catch up, then." Kirei said with an unnerving smile that Bazett did not seemed concerned about. "Just remember to keep the truce at least until the war starts."

"Fine. Let no one say I'm a bad sport." she starts to walk out of the Church. But as she lightly opened the door- "Hey kid?"

"H-Huh?" she talking to me?

"Don't die too soon." she leaves with that.

"Um… ok..?" wasn't planning too… maybe she wants to fight me in particular? I don't see why she would… Or did she just say that to sound cool?

The door closing behind her left an ominous echo.

**Step. Step. Step. Step.**

**Step. Step. Step. Step.**

I turn around to see Kirei no longer in the spot he was before… in fact… what was he doing? He seemed to be circling around me like a shark.

"Uhhh… am I… standing in your way or... something?" I ask, realizing I was right in the middle of the isle.

"Oh don't mind me… I'm just predating." Kirei states as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Predating..?" like… animals?

"I'm simply getting a sense of whom I'm speaking with…" he explained.

"(...beginning to think she wasn't kidding about the lions den…)" I mumble once again. Maybe looking for intel here was a worse idea than I thought...

"Now… what can I do for you young man?" Kirei finally asked, now standing in front of me.

"Um… yes, well, as you probably guessed, I'm a Master here to register for the Grail War. And I was told to come here if I had questions."

"You were told correctly. My name, is Kirei Kotomine, and I am the overseer of this Holy Grail War. May I have your name for the official record?" he switched to business tone.

"It's Robert. Robert Orso."

"Orso… it's not a name I'm familiar with. Might I assume that you are not from a significant Magus family?"

"You can. Before yesterday, I was aware of the world of magecraft, but I wasn't a part of it. Actually, I didn't even intend to summon a Servant." no harm in small talk here.

"Unsurprising. The Grail always draws in stragglers to fill in the empty spots in the roster. Although…" a spark of interest grew in his eyes, "usually this is done only when no other Magi are around to take the spot. Last time this happened, the Master was a serial killer trying to summon a daemon… are **you** a serial killer?" he asks almost hopefully.

Dear god, why is he hoping I'm a serial killer?

"If I was, would I tell you?" I ask rhetorically.

"**He** would have. But, one shouldn't expect consistency with the deranged." Ain't that the truth… wait, is he calling **me** deranged, or just complaining about crazy people in general? "May I ask which Servant you summoned?"

I probably shouldn't tell him… but he'll figure it out himself soon.

"Assassin is my Servant. Although I'll choose to keep their true name to myself." I know how important that is.

Servants often go by their class rather than their true names because it helps conceal their weaknesses. Like if I summoned Achilles, if everyone knew who he was, they'd know his Achilles' heel **is **his Achilles' heel.

My greatest ally in the Grail War right now is the information I hold on the other Servants. And the lack of information on me. A great card to play that any other Master would kill to have. If there's anyone I'd tell her name to, it won't be him.

"That's your choice. Now that the formalities are out of the way, you had questions?" the entire point in being here in person. I could have just done this over the phone, but then I couldn't ask a few important things.

I ask a lot of questions Shirou would soon ask, just to confirm this is the same war, and to craft the backstory of a newbie to the magical world. He seemed to be buying the idea, but I can't really get a good read on him.

After about ten minutes I get to asking the real questions I came here for.

"A few more things… first, you said the war hasn't started yet. Do you have any idea when it's supposed to start?" I need as much prep time as I can get.

"Technically, it's already begun, but there is no purpose to fight yet. It's not so much a set date, as it is that it starts when it starts. Or, at least, it starts when the vessel is ready to receive their energy." he explains, "Right now, including you, only three Masters have summoned their Servants. Although the ideal time for summoning is supposed to begin three weeks from now. That's when the Grail begins supporting the summoning, and maintenance of Servants the most. That's also when the vessel will be prepared. Without it to receive their energy, Masters fighting would be pointless."

So, I've got about under a month..

Could've been much better, and much worse.

"Ok… I just got one last question, and I'll be out of your hair… Do you happen to have something like… a beginners guide to magecraft? I said earlier that I was new to this whole thing." can't hurt to ask.

Actually, that's a lie. That smirk he's giving is giving me chills.

"I might have something from when I was training my ward in the backroom… but before I give it to you I must know one thing..." there's only a few things more I'd be willing to tell him.

"Are you sure this is what you want? The Grail does **not **choose Masters without a reason to fight. But, you must ask yourself if this reason is worth it. Magi train for years with the mindset of killers willing to do anything to obtain their desires. Do you truly believe your reason, your **wish**, is of enough value to you that you'd **kill **to achieve it?"

I paused. I had to rethink my purpose for a second. Why was I choosing to fight?

I was fighting because something dropped me into this world, knocking the natural course of this timeline off track. And as a consequence, made the possibility of the end of the world a very real one. And as I currently live in this world, I'd rather that didn't happen.

Now, there **is **a possibility that Shirou and the gang manage to do things right on their own. But… I wouldn't want to rely on it. I don't know if plot armor is actually a thing here. So, in the interest of self-preservation, I chose to take the Fate of the world into my own hands.

I'm not naive. This war is dangerous. And in the end it could likely end up killing me anyways.

Again, trapped between a rock and a hard place. I could either die because Shirou fucked it up, or because **I **fucked up. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd rather pick the first option or not, because at least that way there's a semi-comforting thought that my death wasn't my fault. But, I also feel that that's something of a lie, as I'm getting the choice now to take my life into my own hands.

Actually, if I'm being real, I think I'd rather die knowing I at least gave it a try…

As for killing other people, I'm kinda torn. On one hand most of the people I think I'd end up fighting know what they're getting themselves into, and aren't exactly good, upstanding individuals (lookin' at **you** Matou!). On the other hand, they are, y'know… people? I can't claim self defense here. I'm choosing this war as well. Although, I do know that there's an even worse consequence for not fighting. I could **kinda** claim the 'the needs of the many' argument, but that wouldn't make the idea of taking a life easier… If it were my life (or the life of someone I care about), against the life of guy trying to kill me(them), I'd take his in a heartbeat. But I'd still feel pretty shitty afterwards.

In summation? Yes. I'll do what it takes to see this war through, though I won't be happy about it. It is merely the less terrible choice.

...I have an odd feeling this won't be the last time I have to choose between two bad decisions.

"I'll do what I have to in order to win the war. Whether my desires are worth it or not… it doesn't really matter. This is just something that needs doing." I answer vaguely.

"So, you say that you join this war out of obligation?" the priest… his expression is unreadable.

Obligation? That's not exactly the right word.

To me, obligation is more of a thing you have to do because it's part of your position, or part of a promise you made. I never made any such promise to this world, and I personally wouldn't blame anyone else for just running away if they were in my shoes.

If I could leave this world right now, just pack up and leave, head home, I'd be smart to do it. But I'd feel like **I'd **be responsible if something terrible happened in this war. And… if someone does wish for the apocalypse, I'd rather not have 6 billion damned souls on my conscience because I wanted to turn tail and run home. Even if I have no real obligation to a world not my own.

At a minimum, before I leave- **if **I leave, I want to at least make sure nothing goes screwy with the war.

I guess the closest phrase for my reasoning would be 'a sense of responsibility'. Responsibility being something someone should do, but doesn't have to. Because it's at least vaguely the right thing to do.

Does that make any sense? Or am I just rambling again?

Anyway, in short-

"I would say I join this war because this is what I feel I should do. Beyond that, my reasons are my own." I say firmly. No reason to reveal more than that.

"If that's what you want." the priest conceded. "Wait here…"

He talked into the backroom for a few minutes, then emerged carrying a book.

"This should give you an idea about what you need to learn. However the resources to perform much of the training you'll have to acquire on your own." Kirei hands me the dusty old book.

"That's fine… this is already helping me more than I thought I'd get." partly thinking I'd have to start from scratch, and memory on how to do this.

"Of course. As overseer of the war, it is my duty to help Masters in any way I can that does not interfere in the conflict. It would be a shame to see a Master fall so quickly due to being completely defenseless. That and I find this… interesting. It is not often that the Grail would choose such an… under-qualified individual." Clearly, he hasn't met any of the other Masters besides Rin yet, "I'm curious what this war has in store for you, Robert Orso."

I guess I'm supposed to take this to mean he's going to be watching me to see how the underdog performs in the war? I mean… he's not **necessarily **wrong about the under-qualified part…

"You and me both pal…" I say/sigh.

* * *

The door closes behind me before he can give me anymore creeps, and I stepped out into the currently snowing cold.

Now, with an old tome in tow, I made my way outside the Church's 'bounded field'.

Y'know… when I said I wanted a beginners guide, I didn't mean I literally wanted a book called 'Magecraft for Dummies'.

"So? Did you get what you needed?" Okita asked as she appeared from thin air.

"Mostly, yeah. I know we got at least three weeks before the war truly starts now, so there's that." That's certainly seems like a long time to prepare, but when you consider how much time I'll have to make up in terms of training…

"Perfect! Couldn't ask for more." I mean, she's not wrong. If I can't get what I need done in a month done I'm probably not getting it done… ever.

"I guess… I mean… every little bit of time counts. I'm supposed to be catching up to people who have practiced some sort of deadly art for **years **in under a month…" I trail off, "when we get back to the motel next thing I ought to do is try and plan out how the mage stuff is gonna work out. More than that… I'd say I have to get back into shape… but to get **back **into to something, you have to have ever been** in it** to begin with." I say, quoting a certain freelancing agent. "Mage stuff is definitely gonna be the priority though, particularly defensive abilities." I say, remembering how Shirou was practically defenseless against mental attacks. "It doesn't matter how strong you might be. If your enemy can simply hypnotize your mind into making you do what they want, like forcing you to give up your command seals, it's basically game over."

Offensive Magecraft might be useful on paper… but it's really not practical in a Grail War. Especially for me. The Servants are basically immune to anything **I **could come up with, and the Masters will be too strong for me to put up a true offense. I can only hope to hold either of them off long enough for Okita, or some other ally, to come to my rescue.

Actually, it might be worth it looking into support magecraft. Stuff that can alter the battlefield to my favor, empower my Servant without command seals, bolster my allies abilities… the possibilities are an unknown, but certainly interesting. Based on what Kirei briefly explained offscreen, the possibilities of bounded fields sounds promising…

"That sounds like an oddly specific example... But you're not wrong Master. Magic isn't exactly my specialty. That makes it one of the few things I wouldn't know how to protect you against. (Although... I **could **try tying you up, so you can't do anything self-harmful…)" she began to mumble ideas quieter than I could hear.

"Uh… Okita?" steering it back here...

"Huh? Oh, er… in general, it's as good as any plan right now. Though, I'd like to mention you shouldn't shirk physical training. I can tell you now that there's going to be a lot of running around, and having you break down out of shortness of breath would not be good." she nods along in a lecturing tone.

Tough to disagree there. Running out of breath nearly killed me the other day. Or at least contributed to my experience. If I'd been able to keep running maybe I could've…

Heh, what would I have done? I honestly have no idea. Probably die tired.

"So? What do we do right now? I think you said something about this… Emiya?" Assassin recalls.

Right… him.

"This… is something we're not going to talk about standing around here. Actually… none of this is…``I turn back to the Church directly behind us. Talking about our plans for the war in the open was **probably **a poor idea. "Let's return to base. We'll discuss this more there."

"Ah… you have a point." Okita realizes.

* * *

_45 minutes later…_

Back at the motel, we were sitting around the same table as last night.

"Right, Shirou Emiya." I try to bring my thoughts together. "All things considered, if we have any hope at all of beating Gilgamesh, it's with him at our side. Or… at least one of him." I try wrapping my head around the temporal paradox that is Archer.

"About that... you haven't been very clear about it. First time you said it, I thought you meant there were two different Emiya's as in a Mage family getting two Masters, just on different teams. But the other day you made it sound like they're the same person, but there's two of them, and one's a Servant?"

Right… that might need a bit of clarification.

"Well you see… ok, how do I put this… you know how the Throne of Heroes is on another plane of reality, entirely separated from time and space of this one?" I try to start it off.

"Yes. Heroic Spirits are made aware of that, and are made to understand it… at least to a point." Following me so far.

"And you know that the Throne has heroes from the past, and the future on it?"

"Yeah. We don't- oooh! I see where you're going. So Shirou is-"

"Ya-huh."

"And Archer is gonna be-"

"Yup."

Okita considers this for a moment.

"So what makes Archer a problem? Does he get a difficult Master?" she carries on piecing it together.

"No bu-... Actually yeah. Rin has… her moments… But Archer… his problems are something else entirely." I thought for a moment on how to explain his issues.

"...When he was alive, he tried living up to an ideal that just kept destroying him. At the end of the last Grail War, the Master of Saber ordered the Grail's destruction, causing a massive fire that killed a lot of people. Shirou was a survivor of that tragedy, and since then, due to a pretty nasty case of survivors guilt, and because of the influence of the man who adopted him, he always wanted to be a superhero that saves people." sounds like an origin story if ever there was one. "After that, his story began something like this-"

* * *

_POV Switch-?_

_Meanwhile…_

"'A...Ahhhchooo!'" 'crackle' "Oh Shiii-" **'Shattering Glass!'** "'gah'! 'Grrr' damn you! Stupid Clock! You never believed in my dream like pipes do! From this day forth, I swear vengeance! It will be swift! It will be righteous! Or my name isn't Shirou Fucking Emi-"

"Hey Emiya? Is everything okay in there?" someone called from just outside the room.

_"Oh, uh… yeah. Ahem."_

"'sigh', Yeah, everything is fine Issei. Just… this thing got busted a lot worse than I thought…" got distracted for just one second and it all went to hell…

"...is it still salvageable?" Issei, the President of the student council tried holding on to hope, but was wavering. They were on a budget after all, and could only afford so much in the way of damages every month.

_"Have to check that for a second…Trace…On."_ scanning the components…

"Well… probably, but this one's gonna take a bit more time," heh, puns, "and a nice, **smooth** touch up."

"...your methods never ceases to confuse, and amaze me Emiya. Take as much time as you need." at this point, Issei, who walked into the room after Shiro was done performing his craft, had given up trying to understand his classmate. He just knew that his methods worked, and saved the Council money.

"Still, gotta ask, how exactly did it get so banged up? It looks like it got used as a club or something." the damage on the metal was dented in such a way that showed it hit something **hard**.

"It was."

"...Shinji?"

"Shinji… Well, him and that damn Witch." The president sighed in exasperation at the drama that unfolded earlier today.

"Oh… so… what did Rin do exactly?" seemed a little out of character for her to get… 'physically' violent.

"Well… no one is exactly clear on the details. But most say Shinji tried asking Rin out, she refused, then that somehow lead to Shinji starting to talk about her family, and things started to escalate from there. Words got thrown around, voices got raised, and people were too scared to really break them up. Most say Shinji started the violence too… but there's lots of conflicting reports. Eventually, the clock got knocked off the wall, and Shinji started swinging it at Tohsaka, who punched it out of his hands. Aaand that's how it got knocked around." Issei finished the tale of the clock.

"Geeze. I knew they didn't get along, but that all seems a **bit** excessive."

"I **know**. So far no one's pressing charges. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone suddenly got pulled out of School for it. With our luck it would probably only be one of them though…" Issei's dislike if Rin was well known, and he had a particular distaste for Shinji as well. As did just about everyone in the school.

"Anyway, I got to start heading home. Mr. Kuzuki has apparently gotten himself betrothed… or **something** to that effect, it wasn't exactly clear. Point is he's got a woman from Europe moving into the Temple with him and they'll need help with settling in." Issei seemed torn on something. Not surprising actually, he doesn't really get along with strangers to well.

"Huh. Surprised anyone can understand him well enough to actually get that attached." Mr. Kuzuki was… let's say, eccentric?

"There's someone out there for everyone I guess. Who knows? Might even be someone for you."

_"Heh, like that's gonna be happening anytime soon."_

"Anyway, don't stay too long. Still got school tomorrow." Issei began to leave.

"Right see you soon." As soon as Issei left, Emiya's work began.

"Just you watch, today, I save this clock, tomorrow, I'll be saving everyone!"

* * *

_End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (__二者穿一__) by Rokka (__六花__)_

**Yeah, you all know what that was, and what this is gonna be. **


	5. Magic 101Grand Tour

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Wow. Feels like it's been a whole decade since we all last met! How have you all been?**

**Bad Jokes aside, asking for a little feedback here. Do the rest of you feel that after this chapter that there's been enough filler? Cause I guess I could just skip it, and come back to it in short flashbacks latter, although that feels kinda like a cop-out. **

**Anyway, you tell me. **

**Actually beyond that, start talking to me. Any opinions on the story so far?**

* * *

_Chapter V- Magic 101/Grand Tour_

_Date: Thursday, 01/20/2004_

_Time: 11:48 am_

_Location: Fuyuki City, Miyama Side Harbor, Abandoned Warehouse_

* * *

_This was it._

_After interrogating that merchant for hours, they had gotten all they needed. _

_Anti-Bukufu extremists were gathered in there, waiting for just the right night to strike. _

_Once the winds were picked up, Kyoto would burn._

_Kondo had gathered us all for the raid an hour ago. There were supposed to be more, but reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time. So thirty of us would have to be enough._

_It was go time. We burst into the building in accordance with the plan._

_I ran to the upper floor with Kondô, we ordered them all to surrender. None were too keen to do so. But that suited me just fine._

_In seconds, one of the rebels was dead by my blade. The others tried escaping through the window, and into the back. They weren't fast enough._

_I lept on through to give chas-_

_Wh-wha-?_

_'c-cough!'_

_"Okita? What's wrong?" Someone asked, but… but I couldn't-_

_"I-I'm fine- just-"_

_'c-cough'▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂'cough!''c-cough'▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂'cou-!'_

_Wait._

_The world just… stopped._

_Hold on… who's tha-_

* * *

"'Gah!'... What?" I woke up on a futon in my new HQ, wondering what that was about.

"Was… was that Okita? Why- oh right." The dream cycle. A side effect of the Master-Servant bond. Apparently as a result of two souls being connected in a such a way memories begin to transfer over in the form of dreams.

I think that was a bit from that Ikedaya incident she talked about.

Kinda… surreal, and… I think it just feels wrong. Invading someone's memories like that. My dreams are some of the few things I can call my own. The idea of someone invading them… well, jokes on them. Most of my dreams consist of either weird kinks, or nonsense.

"I guess that's gonna be a thing now… still… what was that at the end?" there was… 'Gah'! I'm already forgetting.

Can never remember my own dreams, let alone someone else's…

"_" Okita apparates out of nowhere.

"**AHHHHHH** **FUU-!**" fully online.

**THUD**

Ok! I'm okay! Just… somehow found a way to bump my head while falling off a futon.

I am now truly a Master in the art of accidental self harm.

"...You okay Master?" Okita asked innocently.

"...We're going to be having a talk about your use of presence concealment… but otherwise, yeah." I say while trying to full the minor pain where my head net the concrete floor. More on that in a minute.

"So… how about you?" I carry the conversation on.

"Eh?"

"I-uh… I mean did you sleep well?" that's better.

"...I… definitely slept." …okaaaay?

"That was… an answer." another non-sequitar, this time from me.

"Look, let's just say this is gonna take more getting used to than I thought." what is she on about? This whole operation was her ide- oh.

...yeah… the dream cycle goes both ways.

"...what did you see?" I ask, already fearing the answer.

She doesn't use words of any kind. She simply turns as red as a tomato, and apparates once more out of existence.

"...yeah, today's off to a great start."

* * *

_Theme Song- __Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines_

* * *

_Four hours later..._

"Alright… if I'm reading this right… Magic sucks."

That's the only conclusion I can come to after reading about ten pages into this book.

"Or, I guess I should say "Magecraft sucks", it's stupid complicated, hurts when you try to use it, and without some serious bullshittery, you can basically do everything it can do with technology. Expensive, advanced technology, but nonetheless, technology."

Not to mention that everything in this book is incredibly vague, and unhelpful. 'For Dummy's' my ass.

And that's not eve- oh. Hello there.

Nice to see you all again, almost thought I'd be on my own again.

What am I doin you ask? It's obvious isn't it? I'm trying, and failing, to self-teach magecraft. Turns out trying to figure out how to cast firaga over and over isn't as easy as it looks.

"So there's **Mana**, which is the magic energy in the air, **Od, **which is the magic energy in the body, and **Prana**, which is what is what you get when Mana, and Od are mixed. Kinda like a chemical reaction. Oh! And there is also true magic, which is entirely different from magecraft, but is also similar to magecraft just stronger because it's connected to five big concepts… it doesn't list what those concepts are… Magic Circuits are what Magi have that lets them do what they do… Magic Crests are the accumulated Magic Circuits of however many generations a Magi family has ever been around. Only one person can get this crest so **someone **is getting screwed over in the family…"

Ok, well, while I'm doing a bit of a montage about unravelling the convoluted mess that is magic in this universe, let me explain what I've been up to since we left off.

So while you were gone, we decided that it would probably be best to steer clear of basically **everybody **until the war starts in earnest.

For one thing, I don't know shit about fighting. So getting into trouble will probably end in tears, and blood (most likely mine). Even once the three weeks are up, I'll need someone else as basically a human shie- I mean I'll need someone that actually knows how to fight to keep me safe.

My initial thoughts would be to go running to Shirou… but there's a problem with that. He's nearly as weak as I am right now. And possibly even dumber.

...Okay, dumber is a bit harsh. As Archer's existence can attest, he's got the potential to be pretty sharp (heh, puns), but the problem right now is that he's naive, stubborn, thickheaded, and reckless.

There's no telling how he'll react if he learns what's going to happen to early. By the time he summons Saber, he'll basically be in the thick of it. Already involved. If I tell him early, we both figured he'd do something reckless to try and stop the War before it starts.

It feels kinda like a dick move not warning him about this… it's his life that's going to be put on the line, but I'm going to need him against Gilgamesh. His Archer self is just too unreliable, and shifty with his own goals in mind (Namely, killing himself).** I need him in this war.** I don't see how to stop Gilgamesh otherwise.

Considering that this is a dick move to save the world… I'm sure he'll be fine with it if he ever figures it out.

So, yeah, staying out of the lives of the rest of the cast until it's the right time.

Next thing, we're not in the motel anymore.

A few reasons for that, first being staying there for a month would've been expensive. Another thing, it's probably safer. I mean, if I were looking for an unknown foreign Master, any local hotels, or anything of the sort, would be the first place I'd look. And I don't need anyone looking right now. It's also safer for the civilians. Harder to get innocent people involved when there aren't any for about two blocks.

So that lead us here. An abandoned warehouse at the docks. Not exactly the most comfortable abode, but it's isolated, out of the way, and probably the third, or fourth place someone would look. It's also fairly defensible. Minimal windows, few entrances, plenty of places to use as escape plans, second floor catwalk, lots of trap locations… all in all, not bad for a secret set up.

Had bought some camping equipment, and two futons to give it a few… homey touches.

Just hope Okita was okay with roasting food over an open fire for a while.

Which lead me to this point. Trying out the magecraft book for a few lessons. Tried reading through the thing for the last two days. Today would be the first day putting any of it into practice, I'd just feel happy knowing I got a feel for what doing magecraft actually felt like. Didn't really need to cast anything too complicated, just get a feel for magic. That's a solid enough foundation to build on.

So I set up a small target range, with some old beer bottles as targets, and inscribed the rune for Gandr onto my left arm as the book told me too.

My handwriting is kinda terrible, but it should be within… acceptable deviations.

"Alright… here goes something." I clear my mind.

Activating magic circuits requires a catalyst, or trigger. An image in your mind, unique to you. That, and it requires an aria, or incantation. Shirou's 'Trace On' for example. This is described as 'speaking to oneself' in the book. Kinda like applying to use magecraft to your own inner subconscious. Magi with Magic Crests can **kinda **skip this step by using the crest, as technically most of the spells in there aren't their own, more borrowed from their ancestors. Seeing as I don't **have **a Magic Crest however, this isn't particularly relevant to me.

Anyhow, the next step in spellcasting would be combining the Od in your body, and the Mana in the world around you to create Prana. You then offer this Prana to a foundation. Now foundations are a bit complicated. Technically, foundations are the concepts behind spells. The best way I can explain this is kinda like multiplayer games online. You order a character to 'move to the left', your computer sends a message to a server about the move you made, the server confirms this and makes the action true in the game. In other words, you're accessing foundation, telling it you are using a spell, and the foundation makes it true. So, in order to cast Gandr, I'd have to use my magic circuits, convert mana, and od into prana, then pass that Prana into the rune on my arm, which would then pass that energy to a foundation to make the spell I want to cast true.

"...Begin Access!...Game Start!...Flame On!...hm…" still didn't feel anythi- wait, feel!

Moving through the blood. Feeling the pull, judging the change in flow, approving alter, taking direct control.

Taking a deep breath.

"...Finding course of life _(controlling energy)_, Creating ephemeral fate_ (accessing foundation)_, Revealing the unreal truth _(performing spell)_, A song in strange color for the world-!"

**BZZZTBZZZZTZBZZT BZZZTBZZZZTZBZZT BZZZTBZZZZTZBZZT **

Yes! There it is! It kinda hurts, but it's something!

**BZZZTBZZZZTZBZZT **

"**Define Real!**"

And like that, my body lit the fuck up.

Like I was daring the world to tell me what could be true, I remade what** was** true on a small level. Both, a small defiance of the truth of the world, and a command to myself to define what I could do for myself.

By feeling through the connection between me and Okita, I felt the manner in which magical energy flowed through me, and into her. That basically cut down days, or potentially weeks worth of inner searching into less than an hour to find my circuits.

Through that, I took control of the energy within me, allowing Mana to trickle into my body, and began controlling the reaction of Mana, and Od like a combustion engine (the image I used as a trigger), and then passed the resulting Prana through the Gandr rune which caused a small black orb to form before my index finger, which was firmly pointed at-

'**Shatter!'**

What was now a bunch of shattered glass.

"...Whoa." The idea that **I **did that was simply mind-blowing.

Granted, I think **I **didn't actually break the thing. I just sort of blew it off the stand, and knocked it to the floor, where it shattered. But hey! Progress!

"Master! Are you o-... oh." Okita came by, rushing by with concern after hearing the glass shatter.

"Y-Yeah! Never better!" I cannot truly describe how life changing the idea of being able to perform magic can be. "I think… I think there **is **some hope for me."

"See? What I tell you?" she said in an 'I told you so' tone. "Think you're ready to start summoning dango from thin air yet?" she continued in a joking manner.

"Let's hope… just gotta find the "summoning sweets" section of the text… although that **might **be a subsection of graduation air… food for thought (heh, more puns), you think someone might be able to use projection magic to make snacks? It would literally be zero calories! You could eat forever, and all the food would disappear once you wanted it gone!" Hm… might have to run that by Shirou when we do meet.

"'Heh', definitely worth looking into… So, you sure changed your tune from earlier." Okita remarked, "I haven't heard you bemoan your situation once today."

"Oh… um… right. Guess I was just a little excited…"

"Hey now, I didn't say stop!" she stopped me riiight there. "Believe it or not, being happy every now, and then is a good thing... So, you think you got it down then?" switching right back to business.

"Er… I finally did something magical if that's what you're asking. The glass can attest to that much…" I pointed to the shattered bits, and pieces all over the place. "Although it took a long time to actually do… and… I think the Aria I used didn't come through as clear as it should have. Not **too** sure what that means myself actually... so, in other words- it's not exactly a practical thing for combat right now, but hey! Practice makes perfect, and this is only my first time… so, how's things on your end?" Think I might've phrased that a bit awkwardly.

"Oh you know… kinda just… standing around. Waiting for something to do… y'know, for like… six hours." she leaned on the walls with an inpatient expression, and spoke with a hint of boredom.

"I told you you could go do whatever. This was gonna take a while." I lightly scolded.

"What? And leave you alone where another Master or Servant can swing on by and snatch you away? What kind of Servant would that make me?" She spoke like a doting elder sibling.

"I'm not a small child Okita. Besides, the war isn't supposed to start for another three weeks. You can go do... whatever it is you do for fun." Not sure what a Heroic Spirit does for fun.

"'Argh'… I can never figure out what to do with free time…" she groaned. Who the hell complains about getting a chance to relax? "Mostly I just end up doing overtime on patrol hoping **something** happens."

"Hm. You didn't strike me as a person that's married to their work." pegged her as a more 'laid back' type.

"Nah~! I loved my job. I mean, in what other profession do you get to fight people at their best?" she states earnestly.

Oh, so she's of that kind of character?

"I take it fighting means a lot to you then?"

"Would I be a genius swordsman if I wasn't?" she asked rhetorically.

"Touche… although you could've been one of those "I didn't ask for this!" types." I mock-quoted Adam Jensen.

"Already told you didn't I? I signed up for thi- oh! I had an idea! Let's go on patrol!" she jumped at the idea.

"Patrol..? We're supposed to be **avoiding** everyone else." she froze reanalyzing her idea.

"Y-Yeah, but we don't **have** to fight anybody do we? I just… look, we've been standing around for about **two days**. You have your magic stuff to do, but I'm just sitting on the roof doing nothing while hoping **something** happens. We don't have to go looking for a fight, we can just… you can think of it as recon! And… familiarize ourselves with the area?" She part suggested, part begged.

I was about to dismiss this. We really **don't need** to run into any trouble.

But at the same time… I get where she's coming from…

"...'sigh', fine. We'll explore Miyama for a while. Scout out some of the locations I know are gonna be important…" that, and it'll be a good chance to stretch my legs.

"(Yes!)" She yelped, "Let's go!"

* * *

_One Hour later…_

"... Alright, since you brought up the idea of scouting around, here we are. Welcome to Honomora Academy. Or, as I like to call it, Grail Central Station." I present my Servant the High School.

"...this generation of schools have courtyards bigger than our entire schools…" she notes with mild surprise. "So, anything particularly interesting here?"

"Besides the fact that at least three Masters attend school here, and one teaches? Not much. Although they do seem to have more funding for sports than my school did…" let's see… Kendo, Track, whatever sport Shirou was doing with those High-Jumps, Archery, …. I think I see a soccer field- sorry- **football** field out there… "Mine did American Football, and Basketball… although there are rumors we'd be getting an Archery program set up. Buuut, I can already see the lawsuits on the horizon for that one."

"C'mon, it can't be that bad. A good, and responsible coach is really all you need."

"People at my school are a lot of things. Responsible isn't always one of them. I mean, they're considering banning soda cans because **somebody** found a way to turn one into a fairly sharp knife and tried to stab someone with it. It was an interesting week, let me tell you." Sorry Mrs Obama, some jackass beat you to banning diabetes in a can from school lunches. "Personally, I don't trust anybody there with an object **designed** to cause damage."

"... Rough neighborhood?"

"Kinda sorta. Could be a **lot** worse than it is." Least in our town if you get mugged there's a 50/50 chance of the mugger having a BB gun. "Anyhow, sometime later we'll have to properly familiarize ourselves with the interior of the building. Since so many of the Masters go there, I'll bet good money a fight is gonna break out there."

School's still in. Can't exactly walk in now. Even if I could use hypnosis or something to seem like I belong, there's at least one of them that's competent enough of a mage to single me ou-

**BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT**

… kinda felt that one coming the second I thought about it.

There was someone staring at me through one of the school's windows, but I couldn't quite make them out.

"...Time to move." I stated with no room for argument.

"Right." Okita could feel it too.

A bus passed by, obstructing the line of sight between us. The second it left-

We were gone.

… Could've sworn I heard someone shouting something about 'challenge accepted'.

Probably not important.

* * *

_Ten minutes later..._

"And this is Ryuudou Temple. Home to Buddhist monks, Witches, and a particularly creepy History teacher." I remark as we stand at least twenty feet away from the gate.

I'm hesitant to step too close to said gate.

I do have the Assassin Servant. So the odds of Caster still having Sasaki Kojiro are a lot lower… but still, that woman is a rule breaker by nature. She could have managed to steal someone else's Servant.

Actually, if anything that's probably the best possibility. At least then her actions will closely mirror the ones she took in the UBW route.

"Hm… alright. Guess this is gonna be a battlefield too?"

"You're catching on. You've already seen Kotomine Church, so that-"

**Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-**

The world grows silent for a moment as an ominous presence forms behind us.

"Master-!" Okita places herself between me, and the being responsible. Her voice shifting deeper.

"Young man… Young lady… for what purpose have you disturbed these sacred grounds?"

A tall, stiff, and **very** dangerous looking man stood below us on the steps. Staring expressionless.

"Stay back Orso, something is off about this guy." Okita glares at the man with killing intent to match the atmosphere he gives off.

"Young Lady." The sun reflected off his glasses, obscuring his eyes. "If you stand in the way of my goal, I will have no choice… but to remove you."

Okita grit her teeth, and reached for the invisible hilt of her blade.

Still, she couldn't help but smirk. This was gonna be good.

The tension could be cut with a spoon. And just as it looked like the pin was about to drop-

"((Mr Yamashiro, we're going to be having a talk about your use of the P.A system. A lot of the students are feeling threatened, and it's lowering my approval rati- oh.))" Someone in a student's uniform walks up behind the tall man, and suddenly notices us.

He also immediately notices the tension in the area.

"...((Alright let's all relax here… there's no need for things to get out of hand… there's no need for any lawsuits… I'm sure this is a big misunderstanding…)" he tries to placate everybody.

I have no fucking clue what he's saying, but the body language is enough of a clue to get the jist.

"((Issei… if you stand before me now, the final curtain has fallen on your cabal.))" The man states to him in Japanese.

"((I swear you're going to be the death of me...))" the student remarks as if lamenting his fate. "((**Yes**, student council let out early today. Thankfully there were no incidents for once. Now can we please just go home before you cause one?))" he asks exasperated.

The tall man nods. "((That is acceptable… what say you, young lady?))"

Okita judges the situation for a moment, relaxes slightly, then guides me to standing aside. Never letting up on her glare.

The man walked passed us on his way to the Temple.

"((However…))" he stops for a moment. And begins to speak in English. "Do not believe that I cannot see your special connection… I wish you both luck."

And like that he's gone.

"Ah… don't mind Mr Kazuki. He's something of an oddity, but he's mostly harmless." The student tries to explain.

My eyes grow wide for a moment.

**That** was Kazuki? The same Kazuki that's the master of Caster?

I mean… I remember him being more of an emotionless android. This guy seemed more like a Shakespearean villain.

"Harmless? I'm pretty sure he threatened us… like twice." I question the student's hearing for a moment.

"I'm fairly sure he was just asking you to move over so he could get to the Temple… he just has an odd way of doing things." he tries to explain. "Listen, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm, so could we all cool it down?"

He seemed to be honest about not wanting anything to get out of hand, so I decided to let it drop for now.

"...'sigh', alright fine. I'm not looking for trouble anyway… so I take it you know that man?" I guess we're supposed to be having a conversation here.

"Unfortunately… names Issei Ryuudou. I'm a student at the school he works at." he offers his hand for shaking.

Issei? Now why does that name sound familiar… oh right. He's Shirou's friend right? The one he ended up sexually assaulting?

"Robert Orso." I take it firmly. "This is my friend Sakura Okita. I'm visiting the city, and she's been showing me around. I've never seen an Eastern Temple before and, well, here we are."

We decided a while ago that we'd be using that as a half assed attempt to disguise her identity. I was already used to calling her Okita, and unlike Saber, Rider, or Archer, Assassin doesn't sound like it could be a name. It's mainly a title.

As for Sakura, well… that was more her idea. Apparently it was what she used when she had to go undercover as a Shinsengumi. That, and pink was a preferred color of hers.

"Hm…" he seemed to be judging me for a moment. "How long you staying in Fuyuki?"

"Oh, uh… hard to say. At least three… four weeks?" bare minimum. UBW wasn't clear about how long the war actually was.

"Well, I'd imagine a bit more than that really. That's only if things end up for the worse." Okita reasoned.

"Well, as long as that's the case, you should come by next month. The Cherry Blossom festival is coming up. If you're here for the sights, I'd recommend at least passing by." he says.

Cherry Blossom festival? We're not going to have time to stop and smell the flowers. We got a **war** to get ready for.

I'm about to dismiss this when-

"Sorry, I don't think we'l- 'gah'!" Okita elbows me in the ribs.

"We'd love to go!" She says excited.

"...I guess we'll see if we can get around to it." I say, a bit less enthused.

"...well, make it if you can. Take care Orso." Issei says as he leaves for the Temple.

"Ditto. See you around." I tell him, then turn to Okita."Sooo… what was that abo- you want that dango you were talking about."

I think I'm starting to see a pattern here…

"What can I say? Sweets are my kryptonite." She admits, kinda embarrassed.

"Greaaat… my Servant is a glutton… that's the last thing I need..." I sigh in exasperation.

"Gl-Glutton!? Bu-But I... Waaaaah! My Master is becoming mean! Oh woe is Okita-San!" she cried out.

"Okay, okay, that's overdoing it a little…" I try placating her. "Look, if we're still alive by the time it rolls around, and Caster isn't around to cause trouble, we **might **stop by."

"Wha-Really? I was just messi- oh yeah sure!" she stumbles, surprised.

Hmph, 'sure changed your tune'.

"Ah... Sanshok-'**cough**'!" Her daydreaming was interrupted.

I moved to help her, but she swatted me away, and kept coughing into her sleeve.

"...yeah, this war is off to a great start..."

* * *

_End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (__二者穿一__) by Rokka (__六花__)_

* * *

**Voice Actors decided for characters so far, at least in my headcanon.**

**Okita Souji- ****ParsleyVA**** (example can be found at the one-shot "Bunny Girl Senpai in 30 seconds)**

**Robert Orso- Tomandre. (Examples can be found on "A Slap on Titan.")**


	6. Round One

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**CD123505- Yes, this fanfic is going to be based off of the abridged series. And no, he has no idea about the abridged series. He's only watched UBW on netflix. So he has no idea about Heaven's Feel, or Fate/Zero, or basically anything else. He has no idea about the changes to the characters, only a general idea about the events of Zero thanks to a cursory glance at the wiki. Even beyond that, he has no idea what Angra Manyu is. He knows that the Grail is corrupted by "All the World's Evil" but has no idea what that really means. Only knowing that if the Grail is used, curses will spill from the Grail, bringing about a lot of bad things. Hence his little obsession with Kirei, and Gilgamesh. He has no idea about Angra Manyu, Dark Sakura, Zouken, or Kirei's real deal (Mainly thinking he's just a generic villain.). So, in short, he's more in the dark than he knows.**

**Also, fair warning for this chapter, I've decided to go for the time skip, so there are a few out of place things that will be answered in a few chapters.**

* * *

"To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can."

_-Og Mandino_

* * *

_Chapter VI- Round One_

_Date: 02/02/2004_

_Time: 6:30 am_

_Location: Tohsaka Manor_

* * *

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEE-**

"Ugh…"

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEE-**

"**Alright, Alright**, I get it, **I'm up!**"

**'SMASH'**

**'CLATTER'**

An alarm clock resounded throughout the house as it flew across the room until it's collision with the ground.

The person responsible for the clocks unfortunate fate groaned under her bed sheets.

"**Argh**, stupid clock! ((Incoherent mumbling)), I swear vengeance… ((complaining into her pillow))" the bed's occupant continued to go through the paces of getting herself into the swing of the morning. Like a berserker working themselves into an uncontrollable rage.

Then she pops out of those sheets like a groundhog.

* * *

Now properly prepared for the day, she gets ready for school.

_"Another important day at school Rin." _she told herself as she made her way downstairs.

_"You've got a math test to study for, teachers to suck up to, creepy boys to reject… __**exclusively**__ Shinji…"_ she paused for a moment, and asked herself, 'does she really want to do this shit today?'.

Her answer was-

"Alternatively-"

* * *

"GONNA GET **MAGICAL** UP IN HERE!" she shouted.

I think you guys know the rest…

If not, well… just watch the abridged series… honestly, it's probably a better watch than anything this author could come up with...

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Several Hours Later…_

"This is definitely a Noble Phantasm... someone is definitely gonna try to slaughter everyone at the school to try and harvest Mana" Rin diagnosed the magical seal at the school.

_"A Servant can harness the souls of the living to acquire Mana." _her Servant informed her telepathically.

Rin, of course, had a **less** than normal opinion on the matter.

"You can gain experience by eating people? That's **awesome**!" she exclaimed. Thinking about the possibilities…

_"I'm __**not**__ doing that Rin!"_ her Servant objected.

"Of course not!" Oh, maybe she does- "When people learn who you are they'll** obviously** track it back to you **Lucey-Goesy**"... or… maybe… not?

_"Rin, __**I-am-not-Satan.**__"_ the Servant complained about his Master's insistence on calling his Satan.

"'Pfft, then who are you? Dante, son of Sparda..?" she put that out there as a joke, but 'Saber' had a little snap.

_"...ok, __**one**__, Dante looks completely different from me-"_

"Yeah, completely. With the exact same hair, clothing, and personality-" Rin interrupted.

_"__**Two**__… I've never even __**heard**__ of him before. If it weren't for the __**Grail**__, I'd have no __**idea**__ what you're talking about-"_

"Funny how the Grail deems a video game character valuable information, yet your own history? Pfft, nah! That's completely unneeded!"

_"__**Three**__, and I need you to follow me on this one, I-am-not-the-"_

**'CLANG!'**

**'CLING!'**

**'CLANG!'**

"Huh?" Rin turned to the source of the disturbance, and felt her hand holding her command seals burn for a moment.

_"That's… that's not right…"_ Actually Satan mumbled in her head.

"You're **absolutely right**… no one gets first blood but ME!" Rin shouted.

_"No Rin… I mean, something about that fight seems… out of place…"_ 'Saber' reasoned, with something in his memories saying that this wasn't right…

It was just supposed to be **him**, and **Lancer**… right?

In truth, due to a mistake in the summoning, and perhaps due to some influence by the counter force, or by some unknown factor, a lot of his own memories** are** blurry.

He knows who he is. He knows his own past to an extent. He knows the deal he made with the world.

And he remembers what he has to do, to stop it all from happening again.

"Right on the nose Saber-"

_"Rin, I'm not-"_

"We're not there right now! Onwards! Towards glorious bloodshed!" She ran off in the direction of the fight.

_"..."_ You hear that? That's the sound of a Heroic Spirit wondering if he's getting paid enough for this shit.

* * *

_"No FREAKING WAY are they starting this war off without __**me**__!"_ Rin thought as she turned the corner and saw the fight taking place.

A Servant with a red spear in blue spandex was squaring off against… it was hard to tell. The other Servant was so fast they were little more than a black, and blue blur.

The Spearman seemed to only barely be able to keep up with the blur. Receiving small cuts every other moment. But his defense prevented the strikes from hitting anywhere vital.

_"It looks like the blue guy is probably Lancer… but the other one… maybe Rider?"_ Rin judged based off of the raw speed. _"What's your take Saber?"_

_"The blue spearman is likely a Lancer. The other one… could be a Rider? Either that, or Assassin… or maybe…"_ he briefly considered that it could be a Saber, but that was unlikely considering his own knowledge of the war, and the part he played in it.

Thinking about it… he could barely remember the Assassin from his own time. Just remembering they were a good swordsman guarding the Ryuudou Temple.

And Rider… he knew she wasn't supposed to be here this night.

Hold on… that's not right then… if Assassin is at the gates… and Rider is with… then who the hell was this!?

_"We should be careful Rin. We can stand back and watch to learn of their abilities-"_

_"Oooor, we're going to join in!"_

_"Wait, what-?"_

_"There's no way am I missing out on the first fight Lucifer. Now get your Satanic butt in there and THROW DOWN!"_

"I gotta say-" the conversation between the two was interrupted when the Lancer Servant started speaking.

Apparently while they were talking, the two Servants broke off their fight and started talking.

The view between Rin, and the other Servant was obstructed by the cover she was using to spy on the fight.

"I've been having a lot of fun Assassin. Was expecting someone of your class to be a lot more… what's the word..?" he continued, then asked himself.

"...Subtle?" Another voice answered for him. A female voice. Perhaps the Servant in play?

"Cowardly, yeah! Still… I think I might have your identity down… a swordswoman of your ability… you can only be Hua Mulan!"

"..." There's an irritated silence that hangs over the courtyard for a minute.

"Do I look **remotely** Chinese to you!? Did the Katana **not** tip you off!?" the Servant called him out.

"If it weren't for the Grail I'd have no idea what Chinese means! But regardless…" he loosens his grip on his spear, and drops into a more relaxed stance. "As per my Master's orders, I'm supposed to be testing out all the Servants I run into. And since I'd rather put your skills to the test in a mano-a-womano, I'll have to accommodate the company first!"

'Saber' grits his teeth. Apparently they'd been spotted anyway.

"Oh? So you **did** notice us…" Rin confidently stepped out from behind their poor cover.

"I'm a Lancer Servant. Perception is kinda my thing. That, and you weren't exactly inconspicuous standing right there." The blue Servant stood out.

"Ah, well this is just fucking perfect…"

Rin turned to the new voice, and saw who it belonged to.

They seemed to be around her age, if not a bit older, with a patch of white poking out of his brown hair. They were a foreigner, apparently. So she initially assumed he might've been from the Magus Association, but soon doubted that assumption. It was unlikely most Mage families would send someone that young without reason.

She mainly joined the war on a whim, as it was her family's duty to get the Grail. That, and there were no other Tohsaka's that could do the job.

He didn't seem like a particularly shady character. She honestly was expecting a lot… worse from a Master of such an underhanded Servant.

Then again, looks can be deceiving.

His Servant on the other hand…

Now that she wasn't moving around at the speed of Sanic, Rin could see she seemed to vaguely resemble the descriptions of the Saber Servant of the last Murder-Death-Kill. Only, she seemed to be Japanese, platinum blonde, and wasn't wearing anything in the way of armor.

Rin theorized for a moment that perhaps the two Servants could've been related, but decided to leave those ideas alone for now.

'Saber' on the other hand, was actually confused for a second.

He wondered if Saber had been summoned early or something, then dismissed that thought quickly. They looked fairly similar but… this wasn't her. And that Master behind her… that wasn't** him**.

Either something was completely fucked with his memories, or this timeline… and he had no idea which. Could very well be both for all he knew.

"Why don't **all** you assholes just start showing up?" The other Master tempted fate.

"Funny you should mention that-! ~Saber~?" Rin snapped her fingers, and 'Saber' materialized.

"There are a number of things I feel I have to address at the moment Master-" 'Saber' was about to call out his Master on her reckless charge into battle.

"Don't worry about it Satan! I **know** you'll mop the floor with these mooks!" she declared confidently.

"S-Satan?" the other Master seemed to be questioning his own hearing.

"**Rin…**" her Servant growled out.

"That's right ya no-name hack! Whatever you **think** your Servant has, they ain't got nuttin' on my Saber!" she continues.

"**Rin don't-!"** Her Servant tried to stop her, but it was already far too late.

"But… that's not…" The other Master seemed to be questioning her sanity. And/or his own sanity. **Somebody's** sanity was being questioned right now.

"I... thought it was impossible to summon Divine Spirits as Servants?" The Assassin asked those present for confirmation.

"It is, or at least it **should** be. But let's **all** be honest here… it wouldn't be the first time some rule was broken in the Grail Wars." The Lancer Servant called out, to which all Servants present, and both Masters begrudgingly agreed.

"You have a point Lancer... You also have a decent explanation." The Assassin punned with a grin, to which her Master groaned in exasperation.

"Consider yourself a comedian huh?" Lancer readied his combat stance once more. "I look forward to wiping that grin off your face… but first..."

He turns to 'Saber'.

"If the Devil truly does stand before me, my duty as a hero compels me to assign **him** as a priority." as red Mana glows around the tip of his spear, he grows a wolfish smile. "As long as that's fine with you Assassin?"

"Depends, think you'll have the juice to keep coming when you're done with him? Cause this is the most excitement I've had in nearly a week." The Assassin lowered her blade slightly.

"Hmph, lady? I could **go at it** for a whole week." The Lancer winked at her.

She didn't catch the hidden meaning right away, and simply nodded respectfully, before stepping back. Letting Lancer have first go at 'Saber'

Only then did she notice what

he meant, and immediately started sputtering. Much to her Master's chagrin.

"Under normal circumstances, I believe it's customary that two warriors ought to exchange names before trying to kill each other. Care to share Saber?" the Lancer probed for information.

"Bite-me. What's yours?" The 'Saber' wasn't going to give away his true name here of all places.

"Oh me? Names Mario. First name Mario, last name Mario. Mario-Mario." The Lancer joked.

"Funny, I almost took you for the great Italian spearman Cu Chulame." The Archer quipped.

"Bite me Bite-me." The Lancer responded. Irritated.

"I caution you Lancer. You've chosen a **terrible** opponent as your first…" 'Saber' warned as his twin blades appeared in his hands.

The tension built up for what seemed like an hour, but in fact was merely a few moments.

_"Rin, we need to get the __**FUCK**__ out of here!" _Her Servant warned abruptly, in a near panic.

_"What? Why?_"

_"This guy is going to DESTROY me!"_ he said, knowing **exactly** what he was up against.

_"Naaaah~! You got this!" _Rin declared confidently. He **was** Satan after all.

_"He's __**basically**__ Irish Hercules Rin!" _And he knows a thing or two about Hercules.

_"Wait- how do you know that!?"_

_"Be-Because Magic! Does it matter!?"_

_"Maybe you recognize him because you dragged his soul down to Hell at some point? Which kinda means you're __**already**__ stronger than him!"_ flawless logic right there.

_"I'm __**not**__ the __**Devil**__ Rin!"_

"Looking nervous there Saber?" The Lancer asked rhetorically.

"I am merely granting you the final moments deserved of a lamb about to be slaughtered." 'Saber' threatened.

_"Rin! They are __**going**__ to __**murder**__ me!" _

_"Nah~! You can take on a stupid Lancer can't you~!"_

_"Even if I __**miraculously**__ beat __**one**__ of them, I can't fight them both!"_

_"Then use your Reality Marble! Pull em' both into hell!"_

_"THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS WRONG WITH THAT IDEA!"_

"I'm starting-!" The Lancer warned.

"Not if I start first-!" 'Saber' charged.

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

**Clang!**

**Clang!**

**Cling!**

In a swirl of twisted metal, the two Servants fought.

The Lancer was the more aggressive of the two. Using the reach of his spear to get in between the 'Saber's' twin swords, and strike him in the chest, but the red Servant had a counter.

With his Mind's Eye, he could deflect the Lancer's strikes with ease, however he couldn't make an opening on the blue Servant.

The Lancer broke off for a moment to get a better bearing, and prepare a new plan of attack.

"It's a long shot, but I think I got your true identity down!" He claimed, not fully believing Rin's 'Satan' claims. "That blade in your hand is Kansho. That means you have to be the tragic blacksmith of China, Gan Jiang."

"Secrets out! You got me!" 'Saber' mocked as he attacked once more.

"**Actually~!**" Rin shouted, about to correct him.

"Rin! No!" Archer warned, dodging a thrust that got close.

"He's the Fallen Angel, **Lu-ci-fer**… (either that, or Dante)." A possibility, but she was more sure of him being Satan.

"(Okay, what's wrong with her?)" the other Master mumbled.

"**Rin!**" The red Servant shouted as his blade clashed with Lancer's spear with all his strength.

"**Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!**"

A burst of Mana launched Lancer through a building.

That didn't slow him down long, as Lancer leapt out, and brought his spear down- "Your **mine**!"

His Spear knocked the 'Saber's' blade out of his hand, while the blade proceeded to shatter.

'Saber' backed off to dodge a spear to the neck, and began reciting his Aria.

"I am the bone of-

body, and fire-

Withstood pain to create-

as I pray-

**Unlimited Blade Works** -!"

He projected a new blade just in time to deflect another stab from Lancer.

"So you wanna talk about those high-speed incantations you just threw down?" The Lancer quipped after he broke off once more.

"You noticed that?" 'Saber' asked rhetorically.

"Again- Lancer." The blue Servant pointed out. "But regardless, I'm not gonna waste my time disarming an opponent with an effectively inexhaustible source of weapons. In that case..."

The spearman gripped his weapon as red Mana glowed along it.

"I'll just put an end to this **now**! Prepare yourself Bite-me!" The Lancer readied his Noble Phantasm.

"Do your worst Lancer. We'll soon see who the **real** hero is here…" the 'Saber' dared.

Again, the tension built up to a crescendo.

_"See Rin!? Now we can't run! We just __**lost**__ the Holy Grail War!" _'Satan' lamented.

_"Naaah~!"_ Rin still thought 'Satan' had this in the bag.

"I WANT THAT!"

Everyone turned to see that someone else was watching the battle.

"Who's there!? Who just complimented us!?" Lancer was pissed his cover was blown.

"I'M SORRY!"

The person ran into the school to try and hide.

'Saber' stood down as Lancer ran off to chase him down.

"I'd imagine that he… wants to follow Mage Law, and eliminate that unimportant stupid person that shouldn't have been watching." he remembers how this story goes. Hoping Lancer gets it right this time.

Rin's expression twisted into one of concern. For all her… oddities, she didn't want one of her classmates getting hurt.

"Saber we **can't**! You go stop Lancer, I'll catch up with you!" she ran off to follow the interloper.

"...I'll get **riiight** on that." 'Saber' didn't move an inch.

"And **you**! I'll be back for your head so don't- aaand you're gone." Rin tried to warn that unknown Master to stay out of this, but they were already gone. Along with their Servant.

"... so… stopping Lancer?" the 'Saber' reminded her, and she ran off again.

Hmph. If he was lucky, at least two Servants were now hunting that person down.

* * *

"I can't let rando's get hurt in the war! I have to stop him!" Rin narrated aloud as she rounded a corner and moved into the building.

* * *

"Here I go… stopping Lancer…" he's not stopping Lancer. "I'm committed…" he's not.

* * *

"Just-GO!" Rin heard someone shouting.

She rounded the corner to see the other Master shoving that rando into a room, and slammed the door.

"HEY!" Rin got his attention. Hoping to stop him from attacking that student. "No one gets to assault my friends but ME!"

"The hell are you-" he was cut off by… is that a squirrel on his head?

"'Fou!' 'Fou!'" it seemed to be warning him.

"-**fuck!**" They narrowly dodged a spear materializing where his head used to be, and poking a hole through the door.

He didn't avoid punishment long though, as Lancer drop kicked him down the hall.

"There once was a Master in black." The Lancer began to rhyme. "He didn't have a plan of attack. It wasn't too smart, but he fought with heart." He chuckled darkly, then drop-kicked the white squirrel that was now biting his ankles. "Sadly, his grave will be this school."

"Sorry boyo, I can't let your friend run off. Mage Law and all that." Lancer informed the Master as he was picking himself up. "But hey~! Least ya tried!"

"That's where you're wrong Lancer." The Master said. "I'm **still** trying. And if that's not enough, I think I got somebody with enough try-hard for both of us."

"Your Servant didn't seem to be in a condition to make much of a difference." Lancer pointed out.

Did something happen to his Servant in the last twenty seconds? They weren't even separated two minutes!

"...Who said anything about my Servant?" he smirks.

"100% MAXIMUM-"

Lancer's eyes grew wide as he turned to see a glowing jewel flying at him.

"Shite-"

"-**NO CHILL!**"

The Gem Rin tossed exploded in a haze of red, and blue sparkling Mana.

While she did partly do it to back that Master up, she mainly did it so she could claim to be the first Master to kill a Servant. Them's some hella bragging rights.

But her celebration was cut off before it started when the Servant twirled his spear, and blew the smoke away.

"Pretty sneaky Little Red. But you'll need more than that to put down this big, bad Wolf." he took a combat stance with a grin. "That being said… why don't we get to the point?"

His oncoming spear thrust was deflected when 'Saber' appeared from thin air.

"Seriously!?" The red Servant complained for his own reasons. "You couldn't take down a defenseless kid!?"

"I know right!?" Rin carried on for… different reasons. "It's actually pretty pathetic."

"**'Grrrr'**, **fine**! You want him dead do ya?" the Lancer aparates.

"Saber!? Where'd he go?" Rin looked around for a surprise attack.

"He's probably still looking for that bystander." he reminds her.

Rin turned to the other Master-

"Aaand he's gone again yeah… 'Gasp'! What if he's ACTUALLY BATMAN!?"

"**Rin**." 'Actually Satan' growled.

"Oh chill Satan. Batman might be the Dark Knight, but you're like, the **Prince** of Darkness." she placated him.

"I'm pretty sure he's going to look for that person as well. We should probably leave them be." he suggested.

"Why would we do that?" Rin thought she was pretty clear about stopping unnecessary casualties.

"Oh… reasons." 'Satan' still remained hopeful fate could be changed this night. "That, and you know Mage Law. No witnesses."

Yeah. She knew Mage Law. But she knew that the law was also fine with memory erasure. The main issue most have with simply doing that was because they were too incompetent to know how to do it, or they were too lazy to bother when killing the witness was much quicker. She was neither of those things.

Rin moved to check the room where the student was tossed into.

When she opened the door, she saw the room was empty.

However a few clues about what happened remained.

A small amount of blood had been spilled on the floor. Likely from **that** person. There was also an open window with a bloody handprint on it. Indicating he must've jumped out to escape.

They were on the second floor, so odds were jumped got out with minimal injuries.

Walking over to the window, she looked outside to see a small blood trail leading away from the school.

"Both Servants have a head start. We might as well leave him to his fate." 'Saber' 'gave up'.

"I see that as a challenge!" Rin declared.

"Have you considered- Not doing that?" The Servant hoped she'd consider it.

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

The Master-Servant pair were moving quickly across the city. One hoping to save that bystander, the other hoping to mutilate the corpse.

I'll let you guess which is which.

'Saber' was thinking deeply about all of this. Something was completely wrong. He just… couldn't put his finger on it.

His memories were hazy, but one thing was for sure. **He** was supposed to have been stabbed by the Gae Bulg. **That person** wasn't supposed to escape mostly unscathed tonight.

This timeline… it was off. He didn't know what was different. He didn't have a play by play of how it went down in his time, but **that person** escaping was the proof he had that something had changed. After all, that's how **he** got the pendant. The pendant that belonged to Tohsaka, and served as his catalyst.

It was vague before, but it's clear now that things were going to be strange this time around. Well… relatively speaking. He'd be paying attention in the future. To ensure nothing about this change affects his goal.

"Weird you could just beeline it to that person. Almost like you automatically knew where he was going." Rin pointed out.

"Weird right? Probably the Grail." 'Saber' explained dismissively.

They ended up on a… familiar street.

Rin somehow sensed where that person went to and-

_"Oh…"_ the revelation of who's house this is, and who that person was dawned on her. _"Isn't this the house of that weird High-Jumps kids that Sakura hangs out with?"_

She wouldn't admit it to anybody, but on a small level deep down, she did still care for her.

* * *

_A goodbye._

_A ribbon._

_An empty room._

_A sister gone._

* * *

Rin shook her head.

No. She didn't care.

Sakura wasn't her sister.

But still, between that messed up family, her rapist brother, this kid was the only friend she had.

...well, now she really **can't** let him die.

'Saber' looked around.

_"Hmm… this all seems familiar…"_ his younger days… they all seemed lost to him.

Like that dream he had. A girl in the fields of Avalon. They were always so distant, and yet he they were always held close.

They seemed all but lost to him. And yet he could never let them go. No matter how much he gave himself to his ideals. He would always find himself looking for a way to her.

But in this moment of quiet, he found himself asking, where did he really lose them?

Did the summoning damage his memories? Or was it something he-

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt **

***Deen Flashbacks***

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

_"OH SHIT!" _welp, he remembers this part clearly enough.

"OH MY GOD RIN! MOVE OR YOU'RE GONNA-!" his warning came too late, as a massive hole was blown through the walls of the Emiya compound.

Well, to be more accurate, a bunch of shingles, and smaller chunks of concrete went flying as something was launched over the walls, but failed to clear the height completely.

"WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME!"

...that voice… he remembers that.

"Saber wait!"

As Invisible Air came down on Rin's head, 'Saber' was just barely able to block in time.

Saber changed targets to him. Delivering several strikes that were inhumanly strong.

"Hold on! Saber- Saber let's talk about this!" he tried communicating, but she was in the zone.

A burst of Mana launched him back about ten meters.

He grit his teeth. She wasn't going to talk this out.

He turned to his Master, and it wasn't good.

She seemed to be barely conscious, and bleeding from the head. Likely having taken a hit from the debris when the top of the wall exploded.

Then there was that other Master. Apparently it was his Servant that got launched over the wall by Saber. Right now he seemed to be trying to get her to take it easy. And only then did he notice Rin, and 'Saber'. Then tried to be-

**'WOSH!'**

'Saber' narrowly dodged another swing from Invisible Air. He couldn't keep this up.

He remembers how this was supposed to go down. That person was **supposed** to interrupt Saber with a command seal. But he wasn't showing in time.

'Saber' realized he had no choice. If he didn't grab Rin, and run now, there was a chance they'd both die. And as little as he cared about dying himself, he… he still cared about Rin.

Besides, this way might be easier. Killing that person as an enemy would be easier than putting him in a position to **be **killed as an ally.

But first he needed to get away-

"I got this!"

'Saber' heard the Assassin shout an answer to an unknown order.

Saber twisted to block a blow from the Servant who had seemingly teleported right to them.

Archer used the opportunity to break off, and grab Rin.

Carrying her carefully, he bolted for it without looking back.

"T-That Servant…" she mumbled in a daze as the compound became a dot on the horizon.

"Rin, listen to me, that Servant** is Saber**." He made sure she got it this time.

"She isn't just Saber, she's-" Rin began to pass out from a possible concussion.

"Baeber."

And she was out.

Archer was worried that there might be some permanent damage, but knew that she probably knew some healing magic that ought to fix it.

At this point the Servant sighed.

"Beautiful last words Rin."

* * *

_End Theme- Disney's Hercules - GO THE DISTANCE (Michael Bolton) - Caleb Hyles Cover_

* * *

**So, What do you guys think?**

**I kinda had an entire episode to base most of the lines off of, but other than those do you think I got the characters right?**

**Let me know, and even beyond that, review to let me know your thoughts on the story so far. Outside feedback is something I consider critical to a story like this.**

**Anyway, hope you all liked it, and until next time, goodbye!**


	7. Meet Our Hero

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Blaze2121- Not sure how shipping is gonna go for the MC right now. I got at least three ideas in my head, and as luck would have it, Rin is one of them. The other's are, of course, Okita, and finally none at all. Depending on how the story goes. I was also slightly considering Ayako for a while, but after I doubled, tripled, and quadrupled down on wanting to do the abridged series… no. Thinking about it now, I can kinda foresee a relationship between MC and Rin looking like a parody of tfs's Bulma, and Vegeta. **

* * *

_Chapter VII- Meet Our Hero_

_Date: 01/30/2004_

_Time: 7:24 am_

_Location: Emiya Household Shed_

* * *

'Snore-Snore…'

**Creeee**

"Shirou, you stupid idiot. Sleeping out here alone. Where you'll catch a stupid cold, and I'll have take care of you, fetch you a stupid blanket-" the passive agression is strong with this one.

"Wha-huh?" and the object of her affections awakens.

"**Fu**\- I-mean heeeey~ buddy~!" Sakura welcomed her 'Senpai' to the waking world. "Don't you wanna get off the stupid ground and come inside?"

"Ugh, morning Sakura… did I fall asleep fixing literally everything I could get my hands on again?" he did intend to go to bed last night, but he guessed he must've nodded off at some point around 1 in the morning.

Sakura could only sigh internally. Hoping that one day he might come around to fixing **her**… but what could she do?

… for that matter, what could he do? Getting him involved would only ever get him hurt.

So she was pretty much stuck like this. While she was in his house, she could only ever find herself dancing around it. And as much as she tried to hold it back around him, eventually frustration won out, and she found herself being almost to the point of snappy at him. Just hoping he'd take notice… and hoping he pushes her away. For his sake.

No. She **can't **involve him in her problems. As much as this hurts, she can't stand the thought of him dying.

Still, at least like this, she can at least **pretend **for a while that things were normal. Until he leaves, until he finds another girl... or until she finally breaks.

"Sudden thought Shirou. What if you **didn't **go collecting trash around the neighborhood, and **didn't **try to fix said trash?" the clutter **was **getting pretty ridiculous in here...

"But pipes are so useful! Literally **everything** has a pipe **somewhere** probably." he truly is the bone of his pipe.

Sakura turned to leave, and rolled her eyes. "I just finished making food for you and Taiga. Don't put yourself out **thanking **me once in a while!" translation- 'please notice me senpai!'

Shirou smiled as she turned to leave. Ever since she helped him around the house when he got an Archery injury he's found himself asking one question. "What would we do without her?"

He yawned for a moment before turning to the set up he worked on last night. At least twenty pipes of varying shapes lay broken on the floor… along with a clock he just so happened to come across.

He grabbed one of the pipes…

"Trace on."

He smirked. Finally successful.

"Look out. Today, I save pipes, tomorrow the world!"

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Later that day..._

"-then Shinji took the broken part of the bench and started using it to block arrows, but since he couldn't get close to Ayako without getting his face impaled he threw the closest thing at her. That's how the heater got involved." Issei finished explaining as he adjusted his glasses.

"You ever notice our school has a real problem with violence? Oh, and uh… hand over the conductive wire." Shirou asked offhandedly as he was working on the unfortunate heater that got involved.

Issei looked around for a bit looking for which part Emiya was talking about before the redhead pointed it out for him.

"Indeed. It becomes more apparent that its name is Shinji every day. So give it to me straight Doc, is he gonna make it?" he put on some fake drama.

"'Pfft', yeah probably just needs some tape, and soldering. And sweet… delicate love…" not weird at all.

"Sounds good. By the way, how long you got?" Issei was asking him how long he had to fix stuff.

"Aaabout half an hour. Why.?"

"..." Issei was almost embarrassed to admit it…

"...ok, how many more are there?" Shirou braced himself for the news.

"...about three more heaters. One in the second AV room, one in Ms Fujimura's class, and the other in the art club. As well as the TV that one of The Trio accidentally punched two months ago, and the PA system in the B hallway has been sending weird twisted messages ever since Mr Kazuki tried to run that fire drill three weeks ago... Personally, I think that last one might need more of an exorcist, but I'd at least like to run that by you first." that's… those are certainly doable, buuut-

"I… think I can take care of a heater or two today, but I'll see what I can do about the TV… Not sure about the haunted PA though…" His dad never said anything about whether proper ghosts were real, only saying there were certain kinds of spirits out there before going on a rant about marbles, but he'll still look into it. "Still, as long as I'm working on this, I'll need you to get out." Can't have normal people seeing this stuff.

"Right, right. Gotta perform your magic as it were." he says as he leaves the room.

"Right. Something like that." yeaaaah… 'as it were.'

Once he was gone…

"Heater… reveal your secrets to me…"

_Skip..._

* * *

Shirou moved down the hall.

The heater was easy enough to fix. In fact, he'll have enough time to take care of the one in the AV room before class started again.

This time he was heading for… English.

It's not that he didn't care for learning foreign languages. In fact, he figured he'd need to learn a few to get around once he became a hero.

The issue was...well, it was the teacher. His guardian, Taiga. She could be… let's say eccentric? … just now noticing the school has a pattern of hiring odd people. Still, she was good at her job.

For some reason, Shirou heard something when he was passing by the literature classroom that he sort of listened in to for a brief moment.

"'Not all those who wander are lost', this is one of my favorite quotes from all of fiction-"

For some reason Shirou couldn't help but smile at that, and felt like that could somehow apply sometime in the future. Possibly even in the present if he stretched the meaning.

Regardless, thinking about this distracted him briefly from watching where he was going, and he soon-

**BAM**

Found himself running into someone.

"''Gah'...er… sorry I wasn't… oh! Sakura!?" Shirou realized who he had bumped into.

"ooowww... sorry about being in your way and all… I didn't realize it wasn't okay to stand minding my own business…" she groaned as she tried collecting her stuff that was knocked over.

"I'm-so-sorry! I-I wasn't paying attention, and- let me help you!" there was much awkward fumbling around as he tried helping her.

"Noooo, I really-really do like cleaning up after someone knocks me around. You can just go about your day, don't mind me." translation- thank you for stopping to help.

Honestly Shirou couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but really didn't care either way. He was still going to help her.

"You sure you- 'Gasp'!" he was immediately concerned about the bruise he found on her hand. Worried he might've done it. "Follow me! I'll get your stuff so we can head to the nurses office!"

Sakura blinked, then realized what he was talking about. "N-no, this is… don't worry about it. It's fine."

Buuut, he insisted, and she found herself in the office along with him doing what they could to fix it.

The nurse wasn't there. Probably on lunch or something. But since Sakura helped out in her free time around here, she already knew where everything was.

"Strange. For some reason I can see you working at a place like this Sakura." Shirou noted as he was helping her hand.

Sakura was resisting the urge to blush at her upperclassman giving her so much attention.

"Really? I can only imagine those intimately familiar with one of me thinking that much about it." the 4th wall just lost a few bricks.

"What do you mean one of you?" Shirou caught the slip.

"Huh?"

"You said 'one of me' as in, there was another Sakura you were talking about?" aaand there goes another brick…

"Oh. I meant only those familiar with me…" she admonished herself for the slip up.

"No no, it's fine, I mean, You're the only Sakura I could want, so it works out anyway…" and here comes Mr Harem Protagonist. Of course, Shiro only said this in a platonic manner. But Sakura...

Sakura couldn't hold back the blushing this time

"O-oh… yeah, that's…" she was kinda fumbling over her words at that. Trying to come up with a sarcastic quip, or find a way to direct this conversation way.

Did he just say that he wants her, or that he **wants **her?

She dismissed this thought process quickly. No. She had to keep him back. She couldn't let him get hurt.

Shirou finished up, then said, "Well… I gotta get to class- oh shit."

He was at least five minutes late at this point. By the time he got there from where he was he'd be about eight minutes late if he ran.

Whether or not he cared about being late to class was one thing. Being Late to a class where your guardian was the teacher was **another**!

."Ruuun Forest. Ruuuun…" Sakura quoted as Shiro quickly apologized, and ran for it.

Unfortunately for him, Taiga was too hungry at the moment to listen to his explanations, and because he'd already been late several times before, he was punished in the form of having to clean the dojo tomorrow. She understood it couldn't be done today because Shirou had promised to work extra hours at his part time job. That's where he found himself going after school today.

* * *

_Several more hours later…_

Welp, that was a chore.

After spending a few hours restocking at his place of work, Shirou was on his way home.

It had gotten dark by now. It was the end of January, so it was still practically night time by 5.

As Shirou came across a hill something suddenly felt…

**BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT **

Off.

"He-he-he-he-he-he….."

Shirou looked to see-

Was that little girl always there?

"He-he-he-he-he-he….." she continued giggling to an unknown joke as she walked his way.

Shirou tensed. He's seen enough horror movies to know where this was going.

No- a hero doesn't get afraid because of some little girl. He just kept walking until-

"It would be a **terrible **night to **die**…"

She says as she passes him.

"Huh!?" Shirou turned to face her but… she was gone?

"I-... not that I **don't **agree with that- but **context **please? Hello..!? Tiny frightening child...?"

… beginning to think ghosts **might **be a thing now.

* * *

_Next Morning..._

"Try to think of the **family **Shirou! If she killed you I wouldn't be able to come **here**, and eat Sakura's cooking. Is **that **what you want!?" Taiga scolded him as she chowed down on said food.

Shirou rolled his eyes. He wasn't really **that **concerned. Really.

On another note, he didn't quite blame Taiga for feeling like she was missing out. Sakura had really improved in her cooking lately. She was catching up to him in terms of Japanese dishes, and had arguably surpassed him at Western foods. Frankly, he was kinda proud of her.

"I **probably **would've drop-kicked her off the road… but letting it go is good too…" Sakura wasn't entirely joking. She **hoped **Shirou would **try **to be safe, but if it were her, she'd probably just try to avoid her… kinda like she does with all her problems she has the **choice **to. Path of least resistance, and all that...

"We're not really family Taiga, and I'm **not **drop-kicking a little girl Sakura!" Emiya objected.

"Little girls can have big knives… just sayin'…" the Matou added.

"I **love **that bravado Shirou! One time, when I was your age, I got **banned **from an international Kendo tournament for 'being too amazing at **owning bitches**!'." Taiga told a short story.

"That's a thing that happened… there's no lie here…" Sakura butted in.

Hm. Methinks there be a lie here…

"I kinda like your dream of being a hero too, just kinda vague…" Taiga says offhandedly.

Shirou groans on the inside a little. As much as he tries to explain his dream, a lot of people just **don't **understand. What he **wants **is to use his abilities to save as many people as possible. He wants to be a real hero of justice.

"Don't know what you mean, I think it's plenty specific. Get ripped, save everyone." he sums it up.

"Sounds kinda stupid, sorry, not sorry…" Sakura knew what he meant, and hoped she can steer him away from a dream that would **tear him away **from her.

"Hey! No one get's to say my dream is stupid but me!" he, again, objects. If they knew he had **magic powers** they'd believe in him.

"Sorry, not sorry…"

* * *

._Later that day…_

**Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-Drip-**

Shirou wiped the sweat from his brow.

It took a while, but the dojo was finally scrubbed clean.

"'Phew', Now that that's done, I think I can get around to that TV. How someone could accidentally punch one of those things is **beyond **me, but-"

"**Rin**!"

"Huh?" that was coming from the courtyard…

Shirou walked quickly over to the source of that voice.

What he saw surprised him.

There were two people, a red guy, and a blue guy fighting to the death at a speed that didn't seem possible.

Another thing, they also had **really **cool clothes, and weapons, so cool he couldn't help but shout-

"I WANT THAT!"

"Who's there!? Who just complimented us!?"the blue one shouted.

Oh shit!

"I'M SORRY!"

Emiya ran as his life depended on it!

He guessed those guys had to be really powerful Mages, so he knew it was best he didn't get involved. His Dad told him that if he ever ran into Mages, avoid them at all costs. Although he was taught to use magic, he was more of a magic-user than a proper Mage, as people like that could be '**real **sons a bitches'... Or so Shirou was told.

But still…

"They're so cool-They're so cool-They're so cool- Hope I **ne~ver** see them again-!" he fanboyed as he rounded a corner.

"Too slow…" he heard the blue one right behind him!

Shirou turned his head to see the blue guy **right **behind him.

The world turned almost into slow motion as he screamed in utter terror.

"Waaaaah!" he screamed shrilly, as he fell over to avoid the oncoming spear.

"Don't-kill-me-I'm-a-hero!... huh?" he looked around, but… he was gone?

"Di-Did he spare me? Who was that guy? Where can I get his spandex?" asking the **real **questions here…

"**There once was a boy in a school**…"

"Hu-"

**Clang!**

**Pain**

"'GAH!'" Shirou twisted around clutching his thigh to see the spearman being blocked by… where does he recognize that coat from..?

There was a girl wielding a katana that redirected the blow meant for his heart. Although it still seemed to cut him on his left leg where he was bleeding now.

"'Grrr', okay, I thought we had an **understanding **here!" the spearman growled out as he pulled away.

"My Master wants this boy alive, and so I do as well Lancer... You also ran off from **that **fight... and I called next." she says as she readies a Waki no Kamae stance.

"They get one taste, and I gotta beat em off with a stick…" the blue guy trailed off as he attacked the woman.

Shirou was bewildered. What the hell was going on-

"Hey you!" someone shouted.

Shirou turned to look down the hall to the left.

There was a person there by a stairwell, around his age with a- is that a squirrel on his head?

"Come with me if you want to live!" he ordered.

"Fou!" the squirrel thing continued.

Shirou didn't know for sure if he could trust this guy, but considering his other options would be either A, walking into…

**CLANG!**

**CLANG! **

**CLING!**

**CLANG!**

What seemed to be a meat grinder, or B, heading back to that red guy…

He took his chances.

"Shit-Shit-**Nope!**-" Emiya repeated as he heard glass shatter behind him.

"Follow me!" the guy ordered as Shirou got close, and ran up that stairwell.

"So uh... would kinda like a little **explanation **please!?" Emiya asked for information desperately as he followed the guy.

"Long story, I'll tell ya later. For now, **trust me**." the stranger said as they found themselves on the second floor.

Shirou really didn't have much choice, as this guy seemed to be the only person that wasn't trying to kill him at the moment.

The stranger seemed to take a moment to get his bearings, and mumbled something about timing, before-

"Gonna have to make one- come on!" he ordered and ran down the hall.

Shirou followed close behind.

"So, can I just get a run down or-!" he again tried getting some information.

"You're a Magus right?" the stranger asked.

"Um, I do Magecraft, yeah. Why?" Shirou gave **an **answer.

Was this guy a Mage too? He hasn't met another one since his dad died.

"You ever see Battle Royale?" he continued.

"Uh… yeah?" it had been a few years since he's seen it.

"Basically **that**, exceptwith Mages. Again, long story." he sort of explained.

They ended up next to a classroom. Actually, Shirou realized this was Fugi-nee's class.

"Hold on! Why are you all killing each other!?" if people were getting hurt, Shirou **wanted **to put a stop to it.

"I'll explain later, right now, you run home and do your thing!" he ordered as he opened the door.

"W-Wait! How am I supposed to get ou- **No**, how are **you **supposed to-!"

"We'll figure **that **out later, Just-GO!" he shouted as he-

"'Yah'!" tossed Shirou right into the room and

**SLAM**

Slammed the door behind him.

Shirou wanted to run back over there and help him with **whatever **was going on, or at least get more **answers **when-

**CHING!**

That blue guy's spear went through the door.

Figuring he was outmatched here, Shirou decided since that guy was **probably **a superior mage, he **probably **could take care of himself… **probably**.

Okay, really, he just had **no idea** what was going on, and knew staying around here was probably suicidal, so decided to take that guy's advice and run for it… besides, he could probably grab one of his many pipes at home, and come back ready to kick some ass!

Still, he had to get out first.

Looking around the room, he saw that someone had left a window open.

He sighed as he realized this was probably what was killing the heater.

He also realized this was his chance to get out!

It would suck jumping out of the building, but he could do it.

Jumping out of the window he thought to himself-

"_Okay, so Battle Royale with Mages… sounds pretty cool, but also __**very **__freaking terrifying."_

The next thing he said to himself-

"Oh-shiii~ OW!" he yelled out as he landed.

And as much as he wanted a proper explanation for what happened in there, he also kinda hoped he'd **never **see that guy, or **any **of those other people again.

Making a break for the exit, Shirou ran harder than he'd ever ran before in his life. Possibly giving the Trio pause if they could see it.

He also briefly wondered what that guy meant by **his thing**… maybe he was **expecting **Shirou to come back? Well, he would be, just to make sure they were gone before students came back in the morning. He just needed to come back with a handful of pipes...

* * *

_Minutes later..._

Almost out of breath, Emiya burst into his house panting.

"Home, sweet hooome… ((unintelligible)). 'BHREH'!" crashing onto the ground, he gave himself time to collect his **very **confused mind. "This is fiiiine…" it's not. "The floor is fiiiine..." it's actually quite hard.

"Okay, so- those were what Mages were like... Good to know." now he knew what his dad meant. Silver lining.

"Still, those guys in blue, and red were awesome! A-And that girl in the Haori! She was all- 'you're mine-whacha!'. And that guy with the Squirrel was like- '**Come with me if you want to live!**' like he was the god-damned **Terminator**!" he fanboyed over the sheer coolness of the badassess that were fighting tonight. "That red guys swords looked a bit awkward though…" those falchions didn't seem all that practical.

"Wonder if **I **can be** that good **of a Mage some day…" he could at least dream right?

"Oh~! So you're a Mage!"

"Huh!?" Uh-oh, blue guy alert!

"Get **DEAD**!"

"D'AUUUGH!" Shirou narrowly dodged the spear meant for his head as he rolled out of the way when the blue guy appeared above him. "J-Jesus, what are you doing-'dah'!?" he asked as he bumped his head on a counter trying to get away.

Desperate, he grabbed a piece of rolled up poster like it was a newspaper he was using on a dog.

"See, here's the thing kiddo, I originally wanted to kill you because normies can't see Mage shenanigans. It was part of **your **kinds code that I eliminate you." the spearman explained.

Shirou understood this. It was why he worked so hard to keep his friends at school from seeing what he did to fix the equipment. He… he really didn't know what he'd do if anyone did happen to see him. His dad told him memory erasure was a thing, but Shirou had no idea how to do it.

"Alright! I accept that, but, I'm a Mage!" he hoped the blue guy would listen to reason.

"That you are. Got that now…" the spearman grinned as he readied his weapon.

"So… go awaaaay..?" Emiya told/asked.

"Can't do that." the blue guy didn't seem all that sad about it.

"Why-not!?" Shirou asked, exasperated.

"Let's just say, I got a **thing **to prove to Saber." so, basically, he's an asshole?

"Trace-ON!" and Shirou enhanced the crap out of the paper.

The two fighters circled around the table. Shirou was trying to move to the exit in hopes he'd be in a position to run to his pipe shed.

"May I ask what you're doing?" the spearman could see he was doing something with the paper.

"This paper might **not **be a pipe, but with a little reinforcement magic, it can be **like **a pipe. I'm gonna smack you in the **face **with my pipe **blue bomber**!" the Mage declared confidently.

"Right… here's the thing about that…"

**WHAM**

"((Unintelligible))" Shirou was knocked down his hallway faster than he could register the guy move.

Moving quickly, he bolted in the direction of the shed.

"Where the hell's the squirrel guy!?" he asked fate, desperately, as he jumped through a window pane to get out quicker.

CRASH

SHATTER

"Oh **god **that hurt!" he screamed as he picked himself up.

"When you say squirrel guy-"

WHAM

The spearman kicked him across the field.

Emiya groaned in pain as he skidded across, and tried to get back up.

"You weren't talking about that Master were you? His Servant didn't seem to be in a condition to be much help." Master? Servant? Was… was this part of that Battle Royale stuff he was talking about?

"Son of a bitch…" Shirou got lucky, as he was kicked **closer **to the shed.

"Oh **nooo**, he's going into a sheeed~! What am I gonna do~~~!? The spearman had **also **seen enough horror movies to know where **this **was goin'.

Shirou was almost relieved to be in his poor-mans workshop.

"Maybe I can throw my rocks at him?" it was better than nothing at this point.

"HEADS UP!" the blue guy shouted as he thrusted his weapon at the Mage.

"Damn it!" Shirou reacted quick enough to block the spear with his reinforced poster. "'Gah'!"

Unfortunately, it didn't hold back the force, which knocked him onto the ground.

The spearman paused the killing for a moment.

"Sorry kid. This is the least enjoyable bet I've ever made. And **that's **saying something." so says the hound.

"There once was a Lancer in blue. He had a dark job to do. His prey was so sad, but wasn't that bad!" he at least admitted the Mage put up a fight. A poor one, but a fight nonetheless. "In his next life he might get a clue…" wouldn't bet on it.

"You know what 'Lancer'? I got a whoooole can of '**not your business**' with **your **name on it!" I feel a speech coming on!

"So, like, the **can **is my business, but **not **what's **inside **the can?" processing… "That is a **weird **metaphor." he isn't wrong.

Little did either of them notice, the whole time Mana began to gather in the room.

.

"When I was young, the previous version of me **died **in an accident. But I was saved by the most **valiant **act of heroism I could **ever **comprehend!"

* * *

_A great King heard someone call for her..._

* * *

"I'm never letting that feeling go... **I'm never letting it die**!"

* * *

_Like the forever-far promise of victory her blade offers, she hopes that this new bloody battlefield can finally deliver the reward that __**that **__hope promises. And prepares to answer the call once more..._

* * *

"**Even if this body dies**, the image in my mind of that hero** will live on**!"

* * *

_For the people she failed to serve. For the Knights she failed to lead. For the country she failed to protect. _

* * *

"As long as I'm here, I'll be the vessel that **becomes** that image-!"

* * *

_For her dear friends-!_

* * *

"-**And save everyone in front of me!**"

**BZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT-**

"At your behest-!"

He, and Lancer turned to the new voice-

"I HAVE BEEN **SUMMONED**!"

"Oh, you have got to be **KIDDING ME**!" Lancer barely blocked the swing from the new attacker, and was launched from the shed.

Shirou could only look on in awe.

This **person **this… this **girl **that could only be a **real **knight, just knocked Lancer around like he was nothing!

As the Mana that filled the room began to dissipate, the knight turned to him.

At that moment, Shirou knew he'd never forget **this **image as well.

She… she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen!

A blonde foreigner that was, in fact, shorter than him, yet seemed to carry herself as someone ten times as tall. Her striking green eyes stared directly into his soul.

Then, she spoke to him.

"Thou art my Master who have summoned me from beyond the withered grasp of time. Born as is the new moon to engage, and slay, at your grim command..?"

She looked down on him as she… um…

What did she just say?

No really. He couldn't make heads or tails of that. Was that even Eng-I mean Japanese?

"Wha~?"

"I'm just doing a bit. I can speak like a modern person just fine." Oh… okay? "Are you my Master?"

Shirou didn't know what she was talking about, but if it got her to stop that blue guy... Suuuure...

"yeee-yes?" he answered warily.

She turned around to face the sparman.

"Is that Lancer?"

He was fairly more certain about this one.

"Yes."

"And the other one?" she continues.

"Huh?" Shirou looks out to see that Lancer was already fighting… what could only be Sonic the Hedgehog? "Er… yes?"

"Imma kill em'." she said as if it were the simplest fact in the world.

."Wha-?" for Shirou this was less **simple**, and more **looney**.

"Listen, you won't get this, but I just worked through some really heavy nonsense with another guy," Zero flashbacks intensify, "and I'm gonna take it out on them. B.R.B." she paused at some unknown revelation. "Huh. Modern Lingo. Neat."

She then burst out of the shed.

"Whoa!" Emiya could feel the power in her charge as her weapon came down on a Lancer that could only barely respond in time.

"'Grrr', 'grrr', okay, I can't help but feel I was **SECONDS** away from stopping a Servant from being **summoned**!" Lancer growled in frustration as he was forced on the defensive by attacks from two opponents.

However, it wasn't a coordinated assault, as the blonde knight attempted to take a few swings at the blur who- wait…

When that blur seemed to pause for a moment to change form Shirou could see it was that girl from earlier. The one that stopped Lancer.

The blonde Knight seemed to deem both of these people as valid targets. And after a burst of prana coming from the Knight seemed to knock the haori girl back a few feet-

"Ya-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-!" Lancer directed a flurry of attacks at the Knight.

"**'Ha'**!" the Knight burst through the Lancer's attack, and was about to deliver a blow when-

'Wosh'

'**CLANG'!**

She was forced to block a strike from the Haori girl.

"Oh no you don't-!" she declared, "I've waited three damn weeks to **kick some ass**, and now-**is-that-time!**" then there was an exchange of blades.

The Knight seemed to keep up well enough. But struggled to land any attack of her own.

"At the rate you actually **hit** me, 'that time' will be over the course of the next few weeks!" the Knight sassed.

She had a point. For all the flailing about, the Haori girl couldn't land a single blow. The defenses of the Knight were too strong. But, at the same time, she was too fast, and reacted too quickly for the Knight to hit her. It was like a fight between a fly and a T-Rex

"Now don't go forgetting me missy~!" Lancer announces as he disrupts the bout. "**Die**!" he thrusts his weapon at the Knight, which makes her take a step back

He then seems to be mostly after the Haori girl, not liking he's been cut off from that fight twice.

He has her on the defensive. Unable to get in between his strikes due to the Knight being there to punish any such maneuver.

"So, who is it that can't get enough of who Lancer?" the silver eyed girl calls back to earlier.

There's a sudden flicker of movement at a speed Shirou can't perceive, and the Haori girl jumps back a few feet, and assumes a defensive stance. Seeming to be waiting for something with a frustrated expression.

The Knight, and Lancer choose to switch targets to one another.

The blonde forcing the spearman to fall back.

"Your skill with a spear is **astounding**. It's a pity your footwork is not as **keen** as your **polearm** is long!" the Knight remarks, realizing she has him on the run.

"Ooooh shiiit! That old school diss tho~!" Shirou adds. Loving the banter.

Lancer tried blocking a blow from his left when-

"Where are you **looking**!?" the Knight moved in such a way that she could take his head off from his right.

"D'aughhhrrr… 'Rrraaaghh'!" but he narrowly blocks it with his weapon, and breaks off.

Now with all three opponents arranged in a triangle formation, they each waited for the others next move.

"Alright, enough games! Which Servant are you?! What is that weapon!?" Lancer demands to know.

"Confused? Perhaps I'm beating you with my faithful now, Lancer." the Knight responds.

"Oh **sure** Robin Hood, where's the merry men?" the Lancer quips.

"My classification eludes you, but, it sucks to be you." the Knight smiles knowingly, "I've figured out your identity…"

"First name Mario, last name Mario…" he jokes.

"**Cu Chulainn**! Ireland's Child of Light, and faithful **dog**."

"'Gasp'! But Mario Mario was **so** foolproof!" the Haori girl mocks.

"... so, do I just... have this stamped to my forehead, oooor..?" he turned to the Haori girl to ask her.

"Actually, you should feel lucky Lancer. My own Master had **no idea** who I was when they summoned me… (actually **kinda** disappointed by that to be honest.)" she admits, like it was a light punch to the gut.

"Your skill with a distinct red spear, acting like an almost rabid dog half the time-,"

Shirou turned to the new voice in the conversation, and saw it was the Terminator guy from earlier. They were standing on his roof watching the fight.

Holy shit, is he like, Batman!?

"- and just generally being hard to put down. You're the first hero that comes to mind in that regard." they explain.

"And you!" the Knight continues as she looks at the Haori girl. "A swordswoman of the Far East of your caliber, you can only be- Tomoe Gozen!"

There's a brief pause as what the Knight says is processed.

"... Assassin, it's no big deal-" the squirrel guy is about to start when he's cut off by the girl… 'Assassin' apparently.

"Yeah, that's… kinda the problem." she sighs, "well, at least you got the right country. You're out by a couple centuries."

"...is this important to you?" the Knight treads carefully.

"Y'know, before I was summoned, I probably wouldn't have cared... but now? I'm starting to." Assassin admits.

"A shame. If this were any other circumstance, I'd be sure to spread your legend around. You're a real blast." the Knight is about to continue when she seems to pause to… analyze the word. "Blast… I guess that works?"

"You're acclimating to all the modern slang the Grail taught us." The Lancer analyzes.

"Fo Shizzle." she continues.

"...why?" The squirrel guy asls the heavens.

"It takes a while." he lets her know. "Don't worry though. You won't have the time to worry about getting it **right**!"

He prepares to attack again, with his spear dispelling red Mana.

"I WANT THAT!" Shirou fanboyed aloud.

After a moment of realization, squirrel guy turned pale, and ordered- "-OH-MY-SHIT, ASSASSIN! **BAIL**!"

"H-Huh!? Oh right-!" and so she… vanishes?

The Knight prepares to defend herself from whatever is coming.

Lancer knew he could only hope to hit one of them with his Noble Phantasm, so he was fine with the Assassin disappearing for now. His class would allow him to track her down easily later.

"Steel yourself woman! You're about to face my most unavoidable blow!" Lancer warns as he charges in.

"**GAE BOLG**!"

The spear is thrown, and a fate is sealed.

The Knight is quick to react, and tracks the throw of the spear as easily as she tracked the movement of Assassin.

Still, it hit **hard**, and **fast**. So she was **almost** a goner.

"Your attack was strong but your aim was faulty Lancer!" She declared as-

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

* * *

-sa deralced ehS "!recnaL ytluaf saw mia ruoy tub gnorts saw kcatta ruoY"

.renog a tsomla saw ehs oS .tsaf dna ,drah tih ti ,llitS

.nissassA fo tnemevom eht dekcart ehs sa ylisae sa raeps eht fo worht eht skcart dna ,tcaer ot kciuq si thginK ehT

nettirwer saw etaf tub ,nworht si raeps ehT

* * *

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

"Your attack was strong but your aim was-'gasp'!" the Knight realized something was off. Thanks to her abilities, she could sense the change in fate, but could only **barely** adjust in time. And though it missed the heart, it still found flesh.

Punching through her armor, the spear sends her flailing about.

However, despite its strength, and aim, this strike was not lethal.

As the energy of the Noble Phantasm died down, the Knight stuck the landing, clutching her wound.

"Okay, not to be a sore loser or anything… but did that attack just miss? That attack rewrites causality!" The Lancer stares in shock at his still standing opponent.

"My instincts, and my luck. Those skills together saved me." she explained.

"Well that's **dumb**." totally not a sore loser. "My attack that will always strike the heart was disrupted by a metaphysical role on a D20. In that case," he turns to leave, "my Master has instructed me to return if my Gae Bolg were to ever be used."

"You're running?!"

"You're running!?"

Shirou heard double. The Knight stating such as though it was an insult, and the disembodied voice of the Assassin out of incredible frustration.

"Okay now I'm **definitely** seeing it." The squirrel guy remarks.

"My Master is just a **bit** concerned about me facing an opponent that can survive fate altering attacks. Besides, I'm not all that interested in a three way. Too many opportunities for cheap shots." cause anything about this war has been **fair** so far.

"Aaaaawwww~!" The Assassin groans out in disappointment.

"In that case, it seems like it's just you and me Assassin." the Knight declares. Trying to feel around for her new foe.

"Oh-! Uh- no actually! This was just a mistake-!" The stranger on his roof tries to defuse the situation, but is too late.

So he… doesn't want to fight? Shirou almost breathes a sigh of relief when-

"It would seem so **Saber**." Assassin caries on from… nowhere? "I was hoping Lancer would prove a worthy opponent, but since he's apparently a **pansy-ass**, I'd be more than happy to go a round with you."

"N-No Assassin! We're here to talk-!" Squirrel guy continues, again, to no avail.

"Then, prepare yourself Assassin!" Saber announces.

"(Oh, being ignored…)" Assassin's friend realizes.

With a burst of energy, they clash once more.

In another flutter of movement-

**WHAM!**

**CRASH!**

Assassin is launched almost over his houses wall, but is knocked through the concrete instead.

"**Assassin**-!" the guy calls out his friend in worry when suddenly-

**Whosh!**

His eyes grow wide when Saber appears right in front of him and-

**C-c-crrrraaackkk**

Shirou **felt** the phantom pains when he saw her kick him **right** in the family jewels hard enough to send him flying through his front gate.

It didn't help when he realized she was also wearing armor.

There was a lull in the fighting for a moment. Which Shirou used to cautiously approach the girl.

"Uh… hey. My name… is… Shirou Emiya, and I've got-."

"EMIYA!?" Shirou went to protect his own balls when she seemed to react badly. "... sorry, go on."

"..got some… questions." he finishes.

"I'd be happy to answer them. But first, I'm still **seething** from a decade old grudge, and there's another Servant." she continues.

"What?" Shirou tries to process what she's saying.

"You stay here. No guns, or explosives please."

"I don't... **have** those things…"

"You never know." she says like it was a perfectly normal request. "Now I'm off to kill that Master before I develop any attachment to them, and **someone **chops off their hand, or shoots them in a wheelchair." Wow, she **really **did not like Zero.

"You're gonna **kill** someone!?" Wasn't she a good guy!?

"WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME!"

She jumps over the wall to face them.

"Saber **wait**!" Shirou tries to go after her, but nearly trips because he forgot his leg wound.

He gets up quickly enough, and limps out the gate to see-

**CLANG!**

Saber forcing Assassin back with her invisible weapon.

After blowing her back a few feet, Saber redirects her strike and is about to take Batman's head off when Shirou tries to stop her.

"Saber! **STOP**!" a pulse of energy flies out from his hand, and stops Saber mid-swing.

"'Ga-Grrr, listen! There's no way you could have known this, but right now I'm **not** super cool with command seals! Please run all command seal based requests past me **OR ELSE**!" she protests.

The Squirrel guy takes a second to collect his bearings, and wits. He then pushes his glasses that Shirou just now notices he has, up so that the moon glints off of them.

"Well… Shirou Emiya. Listen up, I'm about to make you a deal you can't refuse." he smirks. Shirou listens in, hoping this is more information about what's going on.

His Servant looks at him in frustration just before he opens his mouth.

"...care to swap Servants?"

**WHACK!**

"'Yooooww'!" he yelps in pain as his Servant swats the back of his head.

Shirou is only left to wonder what any of this means.

* * *

_End Theme- Disney's Hercules - GO THE DISTANCE (Michael Bolton) - Caleb Hyles Cover_

* * *

**Aaaand that's a wrap.**

**Next chapter we'll be catching up with the MC, and how things looked on his end.**

**Let me know what you guys think in the reviews.**


	8. Familiar SightsEnd Prologue pt1

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Blaze2121- Well, the MC barely knows how to shoot Gandr, and has no idea how he even summoned Assassin in the first place, so the odds of him summoning another Servant are rather slim. Especially a Divine Spirit like Ishtar. As for Fou, well, he's showing up for the first time in this chapter, but the explanation won't come along for a *while*. The real explanation won't be until about two or three story arcs in. Remember, MC has no idea about Grand Order, and therefore no idea what Fou is. **

**Also, side note. Fuck autocorrect. There were at least twelve mistakes in the last chapter that weren't in there when I was writing them.**

_Chapter VIII: Familiar Sights/End Prologue pt.1_

_Date: 02/ 01/2004_

_Time: 9:47 am_

_Location: Miyama side Harbor, Abandoned Warehouse_

* * *

A sniff of the air.

They were close.

He'd been tracking this mana for weeks. Cath Palug believed this to be impossible, but this… they couldn't mistake this mana for anything else. More than worth going out of his way in his search for something beautiful to look for the source.

Using his small size, he crawled into the building through the open vents.

"C-Come on! Give me a b-break!"

There was someone here… but it wasn't whom he was looking for.

"Oh you'll get a break when YOU break!"

Another voice. Again, not the one the Familiar was looking for.

Still, he took a moment to look at the situation.

From one of the vents, he had a bad angle to see what was going on. And…

okay… what was going on?

One human female appeared to be beating the crap out of a human male with a stick. The male had one as well, but only barely seemed like he knew what he was doing.

"P-Please! Slow down for a bit!" the male called out, nearly having his stick knocked out of his hands.

"DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR!" the female was shouting as she rushed him, and delivering a harsh beatdown, knocking him to the ground.

"'Gah'!... owwwwww…." the male groaned in horrible pain.

The woman relaxed for a second, realizing her companion was in no condition to continue the fight.

"Oookay. Take five." she decided.

"'heuugh... bleh'.." he could only groan in pain.

Cath Palug would dismiss all of this. He would just** move on **believing if there was **ever **anything important here, it was gone now. But something held him here. It was an old feeling. One he hadn't felt since…

He had to stick around. Just to be sure.

* * *

"y-you enjoy this don't you..?" I accused my Servant as I tried to catch my breath laid out on the floor.

"'Gasp'! You would accuse this **humble **Assassin of **enjoying **harming her own Master?"she answered with an obviously fake, offended inflection, and an innocent smile on her face. "Orso, you **wound **me!"

Heh, part of the problem is because I **can't**.

… oh! Hello there!

It's been a while since we've last talked- er… narrated? Where the hell have you guys been? There's been at least… two, maybe three chapters worth of stuff that was kinda just skipped over.

Regardless, it's been about three weeks for me, so let's get caught up to speed.

Largely, we stuck to the plan. The last few weeks have consisted of 'training', recon, 'training', recon, 'training', recon.

All in quotations, because 'training', has really hit a wall.

First of all, that book? Turns out someone ripped out quite a few pages. Either because Kirei was having a laugh at me, or a younger Tohsaka had taken them out for some reason.

Some basic Formal Craft, and that Gandr is the extent of what I can do for now. Just about everything else either requires materials I've never heard of, or is missing entirely from the text.

I can form a basic bounded field, so long as it isn't **too **big. I got an alert system running around the HQ 24/7 now that **should **inform me of any intruders, and uses a rudimentary illusion to make it **seem **like this place doesn't exist, bu**uut** it's pretty spotty. I'd bet any/mage worth their salt would see through the illusion upon a second look, and tear through the alert system with another. I suppose it's more designed in the hopes that it gets the odd civilian, or incompetent Master to stay away. I used one of those Gems to set it up… but broke about three others in the process when they blew up in my face because I have **no idea** what I'm doing.

Oh yeah, by the way, I nearly died again when one of those things **almost **blew up in my hand last week. That was fun.

Suffice to say the Gems seem to pick and choose when they want to work right for me. The way I've come to understand it is because of how such magecraft works. The Gems are attuned to certain spells, so trying to get them to do a bunch of different tasks is like trying to get an I-Phone charger cord to work with a Samsung phone. They might **both **use electricity, but the hardware just doesn't match up. This all served as a good reminder that magecraft is a dangerous thing that **will** kill me if I'm not careful.

I also figured out a little something called the 'All Tongue". A spell based on a rune that should help with translating most, if not all human languages. Bare minimum? It works on Japanese. That's what matters right now.

And then there's elemental Magecraft, whose first page is missing. I can only **assume** this is where it was **supposed **to mention how to figure out which element I'm attuned to. As I cannot find any mention of how to do that anywhere else in the text.

And then there's stuff to do with finding one's origin. Thankfully the page is there… but the only methods to discover said origin it mentions either require materiels I don't have (or know how to get), or are apparently dangerous to ones mind.

So, yeah. In short, the most I can hope to do for now is practice some formal craft, and some simpler runes until the war starts. I'll **never** be as good as a legit Mage, but I'm not **completely** helpless now. I **might** just be able to pull off a cheap shot to save my life in a pinch.

Beyond that, I've been training physically as well.

I'm not going to be competing in the Olympics anytime soon. But, again, **not **as helpless as before here.

I know that there's supposed to be a kind of reinforcement magic that would improve my abilities… but after having what equates to a magical grenade blow up in my hand, I've been really cautious about magic that could very easily backfire. Knowing the number of objects Shirou has sacrificed to practice a similar craft, I'm hesitant to do the same thing to my legs, and lungs. Especially so close to when the war is supposed to start. **I** don't have a magical sheath inside of me to provide an OP healing factor.

So, I've been doing it the hard way. Running, planking, squats, and **plenty **of tea. Gotta get that cardio.

I'll be the first to admit that whenever I did start working out in the past, my laziness would get the best of me. I'd never really push myself to go that extra mile… or **a **mile to begin with. But, I guess the imminent fear of death is a real motivator for me. Who knew?

Well, that, and Okita has been a big help. Serving as a Servant personal trainer. In fact, it was on her suggestion we start doing… **this**.

The idea was to train my reaction time. It also **really **gets the blood pumping, so I count it as cardio. I certainly wasn't planning on fighting a Servant head on anytime soon, but, again, this kinda thing could end up saving my life.

This isn't so much Kendo, as it is more beat the crap out of each other with a stick until the Master is too tired, or bruised to move.

Well, you know what they say~? Pain makes for an excellent teacher.

"...You okay Master? I know I got a **little **carried away…" Okita starts, with a hint of worry

"Well, my **everything **is gonna sting for the next three hours, I'm gonna have to do a grocery run later, then we gotta go scout out the school, **and **I still got magic training to do. So, you know, basically normal." I gave a half-hearted joke.

"Oh good. For a moment I thought I might've beaten the complaining out of you." she carries on sarcastically.

"That's my secret captain. I'm **always **complaining." I say as I sit up. Then I start listing off my to do list."Right then. Next- breakfast."

"Great! I sometimes eat that. Only, try **not **to burn down the warehouse this time~?" she requested, laughing on the inside on how ridiculous that entire event was.

"Hey, come on! I only fucked up **two **times out of twenty seven." I respond sheepishly.

"Yes. **Two **times we could've burned down our warehouse in just under two weeks." she almost starts laughing out loud.

I roll my eyes at this, and make my way over to the area that had exploded with the gem.

As luck would have it, that explosion ended up putting a crater in the concrete big enough to make something of a fire pit out of. With that in mind, I ended up investing in proper cooking equipment.

For a while most of what I've made has been western style foods. While I doubt I'll ever be as good as my father when it comes to cooking, I think I'm good enough for someone that does this for a hobby. For the last week or so however I've been trying to work my way into doing Japanese style foods. It was my attempt to cook rice that actually almost burned the building down the first time. I'm going to be doing a Japanese breakfast today, see how that works out. Miso. Steamed rice, and umeboshi.

Standing by my equipment, I sigh as I ready myself.

"Well, here goes something."

* * *

_Twenty minutes later…._

"Aaaa**and~**! Grubs up!" I declare, lifting the lid off the pot with Miso in it

"Ah…" Okita takes a whiff of the aroma. "Not bad. **That's **a smell to get the morning going."

Getting everything together, yeah I think so too. It doesn't match what I **usually **think of as breakfast… but I think I can work with this.

After about a minute of eating, I think I might've undercooked the rice just a tad. It's at the point where you know it could've used a bit more time, but certainly isn't inedible.

* * *

Okita wasn't the only one who thought it smelled good.

In fact, to the current inhabitant of one of the vents just above the two, it was a bit overwhelming. Fou leaned in closer to get a better smell of it but-

**CREEE**

Oh… crapbaske-!

* * *

**CREEE**

"Huh?"

"Huh?" we both get slightly jumpy at the loud noise.

Looking around, we both know we heard something...

"Maybe the keepaway bounded field wasn't as well set up as I thought it was?" I find myself wondering aloud before-

"F-Fooooooooouuuuuu!"

"Wha- **'ooof'**!"

"M-Master!?" Okita stumbles to grab her blade to strike at whatever just landed on my face, and knocked me to the ground.

And that very thing was-

"...Kyu?" it seems to ask as it looks me in the eye.

-Kinda adorable.

"Master! Step away from the squirrel!" Okita demands.

Picking the creature carefully off my face I try to get a good look at it, and thought-

"...(Is this a pokemon..?)" I wonder in disbelief.

-and now it's pouting.

Stop-Stop-Stop-**Stop** being adorable!

**Fwoooosh!**

And now the cooking equipment just lit up on fire because… reasons?

… fuck my life.

* * *

Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

"Okay, now that **that's **out, and we're **not **trying to murder a small animal, we can get around to asking an important question- what exactly are you?" I come around to finally asking the small creature.

Said creature tilts its head, as if asking me a question of its own/

"Well, it's clearly some kind of phantasmal beast." Okita explains, "In a way, creatures like him, and Servants have something in common, we're both spiritual entities. So I can tell you this much, there's more to this thing than meets the eye. For one thing, something like this should not exist in the modern era without some kind of support, much in the same way **you **provide **me **mana."

"And that tells us… you think this is someone's familiar?" I remember reading about those, and how they work. For most modern animal familiars a magi uses the leftover thoughts of dead people, and transfers them over to a dead animal, then reanimates the bodies while using their mana to create a sort of connection between them, and the new familiar. Technically, one doesn't need a dead person to create it from what I understand, however, the reason they do it is because it's difficult for a human mind to control an animals. To use a **familiar **analogy, it's a simple software incompatibility. Without some atypical connection with the animal in question (like having the concept of the creature as your origin for example), a lot of the ordinary functions one would expect of a familiar would be impossible. No combat abilities, no remote viewing, no real line of communication between you, and the familiar, and little direct control. What you've essentially created in that case, is little more than a pet, and a drain on mana reserves. And a fairly dull one at that.

In summation, a Magi takes the software of a dead humans neural net, and places it over a dead animals. They then reanimate the body using **their **mana, and voila! You got yourself a familiar.

Now, what does this mean for our fluffy intruder?

"He's under someone's control." I find myself saying. To which Okita nods seriously.

"Exactly, which is why I'm saying we need to kill it now, and prepare ourselves becau- stop petting it!" She pouts.

I blink before realizing she was right. I don't know when, and I'm not sure why, but I've been scratching the familiar's head this entire conversation. It seemed to like it I guess.

"S-Sorry..!" I stop myself, to the creatures disappointment. "Go on."

"... you realize someone is probably spying on you through it? Right?" the Assassin glares ineffectually at me.

I find myself thinking about this for a moment.

"...Actually, I don't think so." I realize allowed. "The bounded field I set up ought to warn me if anyone around here has negative intentions. Even if they did slip through it without detection… right in the middle of our base, even this familiar would be tripping the alarm right now. An enemy Master wanting to spy on me **would **qualify under harmful intentions. Whoever's familiar this is, they **aren't **my enemy. Which begs the question… where exactly **do **you come from?" I question the creature, who is now sitting down in front of me, listening to the conversation.

A Magi should be able to talk through their familiars, so I should be talking to them right now.

In fact, if they valued this familiar, or secrecy, they should've either made it run, or destroyed it remotely by now. None of this made sense for a typical Mage controlling it.

"Pruuo..?" the creature went. Sounding kinda like a curious cat.

No **stop**! Cease this cuteness!

"...'sigh', are you sure this won't become a problem?" my Servant sounded defeated. Realizing where I was going with this.

"No, but… killing everything we're suspicious of would be rather hasty. So, until we have reason to believe otherwise… let's roll with this for now." I decide.

"If you say so…" she sounded unsure, but would go along with this.

"So, strange creature, what exactly **is **your deal?" I turn to the squirrel-cat-dog-thing.

"...Kruo?" it carried on.

"I mean… well, first can you even understand me?" I believe most familiars at a level where they look unique tend to have **some **form of sapience, however limited. Technically their minds **are **based on the remnants of a human one, overlapping an animal one, so it likely resembles a hybrid of the two.

It took a moment, looking like it was considering my question, but nodded uncertainly.

"Hm, neat. Well, since **that's **established, and we're cool with that, what's the plan here? I figure if you wanted to leave you woulda done it by now… so I guess you wanna stick around?" I ask it.

I don't have a particular problem with an anomalous familiar hanging around. If there **was **an issue with it being a spycam for another Master, it's gone now. Or at least highly unlikely. Besides, I could use an adorable mascot. Y'know, to maintain morale… or something.

If there's one thing RPG's have taught me, it's that taking on strange companions almost always doesn't end terribly.

It seemed surprised to hear this for a moment, then considered my offer, then seemed to come to a decision.

"Fou!" they responded positively.

"Well, good to have you on board-... huh, you go a name there?" referring to a semi-sentient creature as **it **was rather rude.

"...Prou?" it seemed to be wondering why I was asking a question it physically couldn't answer.

"... well, until I'm told otherwise, how about another alias for now?" it didn't seem opposed to the idea, "How about… Scrat?"

It shook its head no. Apparently, it didn't work for him.

"No? Maybe Rockey?" another no, "Conker?" that's a no.

"Fou!" It called out, a little irritated.

"'Sigh', alright… how about, just Fou?" going back to the pokemon idea…

It paused from making another complaint, and seemed to be going along with the idea before nodding.

"Fou it is. Welcome aboard Fou." we shake han- well, my hand, and his forelimb. And he proceeds to climb up on my shoulder so he's sitting there like a parrot.

"...'sigh', (why do I feel like the oddest sense of annoyance right now?)" Okita wonders while watching me give Fou attention..

* * *

_Same Day- 4:15 pm_

_Location- Miyama City- Backroads_

"_-so then my buddy Brian did a backflip, snapped the bad guys neck and saved the day. Anyway, that's how Goku could __**totally **__kick Superman's ass in a fight."_ I finish up my story as we round a corner, groceries in hand.

"_I wish I could say __**any **__of that made __**any **__sense whatsoever. But... if you say so."_ my Servant somehow seemed to shrug in indifference despite being in spirit form.

"_Yeah, you could say that Saiyan wasn't… monkeying about!"_

…

…

…

"_Is that supposed to mean something oooor…?" _oh. Did… did she not- oh.

"_Have... I just been rattling off about random crap you don't know about again?"_ I don't know **why **I thought she knew about those things…

"_Yes, but… you seemed quite passionate about the subject, so I didn't want to-."_

"_No-no I just… it was a bunch of little things that pissed me off about that, and… know what? It ain't important."_ I try to stop myself from falling into a stupid rant._ "If you don't want to hear it, just say so."_

"_Your call." _

I chasties myself. I don't think Okita cares for the stupid bullshit that goes through my head sometimes.

Thing is, before all this, I'd have these conversations with myself internally so it doesn't bother anyone. But now that I can communicate telepathically with someone, the monologues about stupid shit just seemed to evolve into dialogue. I just subconsciously end up drawing her in. It almo-

…

...

I just felt... a sudden tone shift. Like… like an aura of just… pure brokenness just overcame the area… I feel like someone just got punched in the gut by the ex they still have feelings for after having to put down their dog.

Pausing to look around for the source…

"Okita… do you… feel that?" I ask carefully. Just to make sure I'm not the only one...

"_Hm? Feel wha-?... oh."_ she stops in sudden realization.

Oh... There it is.

About twenty meters in front of me there was a girl, they were short, with purple hair that had a ribbon in it, and was wearing a school uniform. The aura just seemed to be emanating from them. Their hair fell before their eyes, blocking my view of them… but I could, somehow, still feel the emptiness.

Some tall blonde asshole (at least, that's the feeling I got from looking at him) was just walking out of view. Somehow, I just **knew **he had something to do with this.

Strange. Something seems familiar about all this, but I just can't place where….

Okay… there's obviously something going on here. Question is what to do about it… or if I **should **do anything about it.

Maybe I should... go ask her what's wron-?

_Now hold it __**right **__there pal~!_

_Have you ever considered- __**you're **__a social retard?_

Well… that's **mean**.

_Hear me out. _

_You know more about magecraft than you do about human interpersonal relations right~?_

… you're not **in**correct.

_Then wouldn't it stand to reason that ~whateeever~ you do, you'll __**probably **__only make it worse?_

… I hate it, but you got a point there brain.

_s'what I'm here for._

_Besides, whatever happened here is nunya business. Unimportant people drama is the __**last **__thing we need to be focusing on so close to the war._

...right. You're right. I don't know what's going on, and shouldn't get involved. Still… she's **kinda **standing in the direction we need to go…

_So…?_

I can't just… walk past her and pretend like nothing's wrong…

_Why not?_

...**dude**!? This person's obviously in some form of distress!

_So what? We've already established this __**doesn't **__pertain to you right? And even if you __**did **__want to do something to help, you'd just make it worse._

No no no-no-no-no-no-no-**NO**, this isn't right! I-I'll just walk by- and ask if there's-

'_MENTAL BITCH SLAP'_

'GAH"!

_**Now you listen here**__! __**I'm **__gonna guide __**us **__through this, and __**you're **__gonna __**shut up**__ and do __**exactly **__as I tell you._

A-Alright…

Following my brain's instructions, I do my best to casually walk by like I'm not paying attention to the world around me.

**Step. Step. Step. Step.**

**Step. Step. Step. Step.**

I had almost made it past her when-

"((Quiet sounds of barely contained depression))"

'**MENTAL SHELL SHATTERING'**

"H-Hey? I-Is something wrong miss-?" well fuck. I tried.

_**NOOOOOO**__ YOU __**FOOL**__! YOU"VE DOOMED US ALL!_

C-C'mon? Maybe it won't be as bad as you thin-

"N-No. What could p-**possibly** be wrong in this scenario..? I'm completely fine." she responds in a half-broken voice. Though, I'm not sure if that last part was for me, or her.

…'inhale'…'outhale'… ooooh boy...

_...You were saying?_

… okay, **maybe **we can play dumb and **pretend **we don't speak passive-aggressive-sarcasm?

_Oh no you don't __**'pal'**__!_

"Well, is there anything I could do to help?" wh-wha!? **BRAIN**!?

_You, and your conscience walked us into this emotional minefield, Imma watch you dig us ou-_

"**No**. There's nothing you can do." she affirmed with resigned finality, and started walking away.

* * *

**"'GrrrrRrrRRRRRAAAAARRRHHH!'"**

**"God- OH GOD NOOOAARAGGHHHH!"**

**"**m**-**mom?** Mommy!?"**

I can't do anything.

* * *

…

…

…

I wanted to say something. But… the words just died in my throat.

In another moment she was gone, and I just felt like I allowed a life to grow dimmer.

"_... 'sigh', feel like there were probably a __**billion **__better ways I could've handled that…" _I chasties myself.

"_Probably."_ Okita spoke up after being **suspiciously **quiet the entire time, _"But, she said she __**didn't **__want help. Sometimes it's for the best to not get involved in others personal affairs. Especially affairs I don't know anything about."_

"_Yeah… guess you're right. We don't know what's going on here. Probably just some highschool drama I'm reading __**waaay**__ too much into."_ yeah.

"_Yes. Besides, I'm sure it will work out juuust fine. I foresee that girl has a bright future ahead of her with no outstanding problems that will have to be addressed by anyone, especially any problems that have anything to do with the Grail War, Masters, or bug-monster-men"_ Okay… she seems to have a lot of pent up… something.

"_That's…. __**oddly **__specific Okita…"_

"_Don't worry Master~!"_ she assures.

"_I wasn't worried…"_

"_I'm sure this little meeting will be __**entirely **__unimportant, and won't foreshadow anything of any concern. __**Ever**__."_ she states firmly.

…

…

"_Okay… so long as you're sure about that…"_

"'_Course I'm sure!... actually, something __**totally **__unrelated to this topic, but, would you mind __**not **__making me dinner later?"_ yup. This **is **totally unrelated to that person.

"_Huh? Why?"_

"_No reason."_ she seemed to shudder in spirit form at some thought or another.

* * *

_Next Day- 7:06 pm_

_Location- Homurahara Academy, AKA- "Grail Central Station"_

"_Y'know, with the benefit of hindsight, we probably shoulda taken care of this two weeks ago."_ I transmit the anecdote to my Servant as I'm looking through the school Library.

"_Weird right? Musta slipped the Authors mind that this would be an issue."_ Okita remarks for me while in spirit form. Knocking through the 4th wall in the process._"That, or he couldn't come up with a better reason for us to coincidentally be here right now."_

Ignoring that for now, _"True. But it's a good thing anyway. At least at this point, we can get a look at the sigils Shinji set up so we can get an idea of what it'll take to bring them down for good ahead of time. Speaking of..."_

We'd made quite a mess in here looking for the damn things. I know one is definitely set up here because of the show.

Quick refresher for those of you who don't remember, the little bastard is going to use these devices to turn everyone in the school into mana soup. I remember that the best Rin could hope to do is slow them down, but I hope with a **little **help she can slow them down a bit more. At least long enough so she can figure out how to really destroy them.

I know that Rin, and Shirou **did **get him to turn it off, but we're working with a considerable butterfly effect at this point. A lot of what happened then was dependent on Caster making her move, and with me being Assassin's Master, there's room for debate about how that will change her strategy. Hell, most of the last half of the show is a wildcard now without Sasaki.

Odd. When you remember he was kinda stuck standing around for the entire show one might think taking him out of the equation changes little, but actually, no. Without him, no one slows down Saber in confronting Caster, no one slows Archer down as he tries to murder Shirou that time, and, again, no one to fight Saber at the end. He's essentially serves as a gigantic, unnecessary pain in the ass.

Regardless, I'd rather not risk the lives of the students here on an assumption that everything is gonna go well this time.

"Fou? You're up." I called on the squirrel thing who did a mini-salute, jumped from my shoulder, and began sniffing around.

We figured he'd have a nose for this kinda thing, so we decided he'd be our bomb-sniffer dog.

"Fou! Fou!" it called out, mimicking an English Pointer at a specific bookshelf.

"Wow, that was quick. Good job!" I told him, scratching behind his ears as I looked at the area he was pointing to. And sure enough, 'Huh, right under ten copies of 'War and Peace'. **Diabolical**."

"_Great, we found the mini-Macguffin. Now, how do we deal with it?"_ my Servant asked.

"Honestly, I can't help but wonder why a school would keep this many in stock- riiight, Amazon isn't really a **thing **yet-"

"_MASTER!"_

"Wha-!" one of the books fall out of my hand and land on the floor, causing somewhat loud slamming sound in the process.

"_Please focus! The sigils. How do we get rid of them?" _she asks firmly.

"_R-right… maybe we just get rid of the bookshelf? Take it out of the school? That might do it for this one, but I'm not sure what we'll to if any of them that are actually attached to the building…"_ I try to think of the options here.

Still, I think if any of this was a real option Rin would have tried it, as opposed to just slowing the thing down. I'm sure Archer would be strong enough to move this thing around. They could easily get it out in the middle of the night when no one was around to see it.

"_Regardless, we just take care of this one, and we'll at least have gotten him to waste resources. And considering Shinji's entire reason for setting this up is a Mana shortage, if we do this enough, he'll consider this building to be a waste of time, and capital, and move on to a different plan. Hopefully one that risks less innocent lives. Or, if he's stubborn, and tries to double down on this idea, it will be less Mana for him to use against us, and more on setting these things back up._ _The key to beating Shinji with ease is a war of attrition. He physically can't keep up with the other Masters in terms of magic energy. Stop his attempts to counter, or alter that fact, and he'll be as helpless as a baby seal against a group of drunken sailors." _I explain the base idea here.

"_Sounds like a plan. Still, probably best to take care of this when we have backup so no one can ambush us while we're moving furniture around."_ Okita realizes.

"_Good call. Besides, we should just focus on locating the rest for tonight. We'll figure out how to remove them all properly latter." _Just about the only time Shinji would have a clear advantage over us would be if he got the chance to pull a cheap shot because we were distracted.

I'll still say his knowledge of magecraft is probably better than mine at this point. He's got all of the Matou family's research available to him after all. But **knowing **about something, and the ability to **apply **that knowledge are two different things entirely.

With me able to supply my Servant properly, as Okita has told me her Mana supply is just fine, Assassin will likely have a significant edge over Rider if the two were to face off.

If **I **were to fight Shinji man to human filth… I can't say I'd really know how that would turn out. I don't know if he actually **knows **any form of self defense techniques. If he does… well, it's certainly in his favor. If not… it's really up in the air.

"_Right then- let's go."_ I say, putting the books back.

* * *

_Courtyard…_

"That's all of them inside the building. 'Bout five so far. We'll do a sweep the courtyard, then check the roof… actually, Okita? Odd question but," I speak aloud as I exit the building. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about explosives would you?_"_

"_Not... really, why?" _she asked.

"Well, I was just thinking, 'if we get everyone to stay home from school the next few weeks there wouldn't be a problem' right?"

"_... I mean, I guess. No students, no victims for the bounded field. But what does __**that **__have to do with- __**NO **__I'm __**not **__helping you bomb a __**school**__!"_ she refused, predicting my plan.

"Now hold on and listen! I **wasn't **suggesting we do it with anyone **actually **inside, I thought maybe we could rig a small bomb to blow up an unoccupied room or two just as the first people arrive in the morning. Maybe play a creepy, distorted message over the PA system for added effect? Make it all seem like a real serious threat. That way they'll **have **to cancel school. They get out of school for a while, and **no one** gets hurt… well…"Gears turning in my head…

"_I don't think I like where this is going... __**please **__stop before this gets out of hand-" _my Servant begged, but it feel on deaf ears.

"_Maybe we can rig an extra one for Shinji?" _

"_Oh, being ignored..."_

"'**Gasp'**, we can call it "Project: Garbage Day"!"

"_Master. This sounds like a terrible idea that could very easily backfire."_ Assassin stated, deadpan. _"And will probably end up getting a lot of civilians hurt by mistake."_

"'Sigh', I know… I ain't lucky enough to pull that off without unnecessary casualties. Moot point anyway. You don't know how to make things go boom, and my only explosives are those gems, and those are hardly reliable." I admit to defeat on this front. "And I don't think we'll be meeting anyone that **does **know a thing or two about bomb making on this venture anyhow."

"_... so, the bounded field?"_ she guides us back on topic.

"R-Right. Now if I were a dangerous megalomaniac, and I'm **not**, where would I.." I began to think before Fou made himself useful once more.

He began sniffing around while sitting on my head, but before his eyes seemed to grow wide. But before he could call something out-

"_MASTER! Steel yourself!"_ my Servant warned, tensing up at something I couldn't sense.

After a brief moment of confusion, I try to prepare my body to move when-

"There once was a Lancer on a rooftop…"

"Oh..." My eyes grow wide, "...shit."

* * *

_End Theme- Disney's Hercules - GO THE DISTANCE (Michael Bolton) - Caleb Hyles Cover_

* * *

**And that's a cliffhanger. Let me know what you guys think. I particularly want to know how you all think I've gotten the characters so far.**

**Part 2 of Familiar Sights should be coming out just about over a week from now at the rate I get to work on stuff. I just wanted to get something out in a timely manner. **


	9. Familiar SightsEnd Prologue pt2

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**So… DBZA is done… well that sucks. Sorry if this is where a lot of you get the news… but yeah… check TeamFourStar's channel for that update. But, let's all take a moment to appreciate all that they did in that series. The bars that they set that lead the abridging world to what it is today, including Project Mouthwash. And then wish TFS luck with whatever creative endeavors they want to go after next. **

**Anyway, chapter 9 is out! And just over a week like I said it would! So that's a thing...**

**Runelt99- Fou is there for a reason. As for what that reason is… well, that would be major spoilers. Let's just say his importance is tied to what (or whom) he's looking for. So, in a way he's both a cameo, and a link to something important. **

_Chapter IX: Familiar Sights/End Prologue pt.2_

_Date: 02/02/2004_

_Time: 7:25pm_

_Location: Homurahara Academy, AKA 'Grail Central Station', Courtyard_

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

"There once was a Lancer on a rooftop…"

"Oh... shit." **now**!? He's showing up **now**!?

Yup. There he was. Looking down on us from the roof of the building we just came from. **Lancer**. True Name Cu Chulainn. The living embodiment of the Celtic warrior trope.

Damnit. Coulda sworn we had a few more days…

_"Define Real" _My circuits ready themselves for battle.

… still fucking stings.

"And on you he just got the drop…" the blue Lancer smirked at some joke only he seemed to get.

I began looking around for immediate escape routes. No way was I gonna be stickin around like a sitting duck while two Servants duked it out.

If I remember correctly, Lancer was mainly here to test the waters, not to actually fight seriously… but he's not exactly keen on following Kirei's orders. I can't expect him to pull any punches.

Can't say Okita has anything resembling a clear advantage here. Lancer is strong. Real strong. If it weren't for his Master, he'd be an obvious pick for potential winner. The biggest threat from him being his Noble Phantasm. So far as we can tell, Assassin doesn't have a good counter to it.

There's some hope that her presence concealment may prevent it from locking on, but him being a Lancer, perception is his forte. All in all, he's the only Servant I **don't **have a kryptonite for. Which means this fight might already be over if I can't think of something fast...

"He'll lop off your head, and just as his Master said… your heart will soon stop." he seemed to finish up his little… poetry gimmick? That's a new one…

"_Master! Stay back!" _my Servant ordered. Her voice suddenly turning deeper.

"_Right. Servant. I'll leave him to you."_

"_No I was more worried about him being Irish. Don't want you catching his Bankruptcy."_

"_That's... "_ let's not deal with this right now… _"... 'sigh', look, just be careful. He's here to test us for his Master, so restrain from showing all your cards if you can. And don't give him an opportunity to gain enough space to throw his spear. If he gets the chance, it's basically game over."_

"_Anything else?"_

"_You get a chance? Throw a dog treat at him."_ I found myself smirking.

"_How will that help?"_

"_I'll find it hi-larious."_

"Care to let me in on the joke there bub?" Lancer didn't know whether to be annoyed he was being ignored, or curious at what his target was thinking about.

"I would, but I'm afraid I don't have a mirror to lend you at the moment." I sassed back.

I might be joking, but don't get me wrong, I'm scared shitless right now. In fact, I had to take a breath to stop myself from shaking.

"'Hmph', That's fine." he twirled his spear around for dramatic effect, then changed to an attack stance. "You can explain it while I'm running you through."

I took another look around… it didn't look like there was anywhere I could escape to.

I'm just gonna have to hope Okita has this covered.

"Do your worst Lancer. But I warn you I will not make for an easy kill." I try to make myself sound like some kind of powerful Mage. I know that might only hype up trying to fight me for a guy like him, but it might buy a second or two if it gets him to think a plan through.

"I highly doubt that." ouch… "That said… let's get to the point." his spear lit up in red mana.

"_Booo, that sucked." _I called out… well, not really. More just made a snide comment about it to Okita.

"_(Like you got __**any **__room to talk about bad puns…)"_

Faster than I could blink, Lancer leapt off the roof of the building, and was coming down **fast**.

I barely moved an inch before Lancer was barely four feet away from me.

Thrusting his weapon at me, my eyes grew wide in shock at the raw spe-

'**CLANG'**

Okita phazed into being right on time to deflect the weapon.

I didn't get a good look at what exactly happened next. I was still recovering from the surprise. But from the sounds that were being made, one could get an accurate picture by imagining placing a sword in an industrial blender.

I moved until I felt I was at a relatively safe distance. I wasn't getting caught in the crossfire here.

Holy shit.

Industrial blender is right. It's like a fucking whirlwind of sharp pointy things in there!

I tried using my stat-vision to get any idea about how Okita could counter him, but they were moving too fast. They were just two big blurs clashing, and countering each other at speeds my eyes just couldn't process. The fights in the anime **must've** been slowed down.

"...damn…" Is **this** what A+ speed looks like? Or… are they holding back?

**'WHAM'!**

One of the blurs just got knocked back towards me. I guess it has to be Okita 'cause they aren't cutting me down.

Landing on one other walls of the school, she then seems to use the momentum to launch herself back at Lancer.

**'CLANG'!**

'**RIIIIIING"**

The sound of the resulting clash resounded throughout the night. Sending a strong gust of wind in all directions.

However, powerful that blow might have been, it didn't break through any defenses, as Okita leapt back, and was standing by my side while Lancer stood there unscathed with a smile on his face.

It was at this moment that I noticed Okita had been wearing that pink Kimono from when we first met. It was entirely likely that this was her default combat wear.

"Not bad Lancer. But you'll have to work harder if you want to break through this Servant's defense." ah, so the banter begins.

"I'll admit, I was surprised. Your presence concealment shows you're the Assassin Servant, so I assumed your sword skills would be found lacking." Damn, right on the money.

"Step **closer **Lancer. And I'll show you just how **sharp **my skills are." she then turns… a complete 180 from the cheery, almost bubbly girl I know into… into something akin to a wolf when she grows an almost evil… no, **sadistic **smirk, and an aura of fatal intent builds around her. "And **you **can tell **me **what you think of them as you're groveling in a puddle of your own **blood**."

… I think I see why she's a true neutral now.

Anyway... now that they're bantering, I can get a good look at his stats-

* * *

**Servant- Lancer**

**True Name- Cu Chulainn**

**Master- Kirei Kotomine**

**Sex-Male**

**Height/Weight- 185cm/70kg **

**Alignment- Lawful Neutral**

**Strength- B**

**Endurance- C**

**Agility-A**

**Magical Energy- C**

**Luck-E**

**Class Abilities**

**Magic Resistance- C**

**-Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against magecraft on the level of **_**High-Thaumaturgy**_** and **_**Greater Rituals**_**. He has a remarkable resistance to Japanese-related Witchcraft.**

**Personal Skills**

**Battle Continuation- A**

**-Never gives up no matter what. Legend tells that the dying Cú Chulainn tied himself to a tree before taking his last breath. For he who possesses such a legend, the dying struggle is particularly fierce. This is not living dirty, but rather it is the work of preserving a Celtic warrior's enduring fight until the very end**

**Disengage- C**

**.-Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match.**

**Divinity- B**

**-Cú Chulainn is a demigod whose father was an almighty god who possessed every skill: Lugh, the god who governed over the sun and a member of the Danann divine family, and his mother was Deichtine, younger sister of King Conchobar.**

**Rune Magic- B**

**-Cú Chulainn has the capacity to use the 18 original Runes (Norse Runes), granted by his mentor Scáthach from his studies with her, appropriately using them to respond in different situations. A nearly first-rate magus, but since he himself sees it as a hindrance, it is not employed much. By making proper use of this, powerful and varied effects are mastered. Other than attacks, this is mainly employed for effects corresponding to the Skills Magic Resistance, Clairvoyance, for raising parameters to **_**Rank A**_**, etc. All of these applications are merely temporary and he cannot employ multiples of those simultaneously.**

**Protection from Arrows- B**

**-This is a power Cú Chulainn was born with. It's said that it's possible for him to avoid any long range attack if he has made visual confirmation of his opponent, tracking down ranged weapons with his eyes and defend against them. He can deal with most projectiles even in conditions where the opponent cannot be visually seen. As long as the attack is a thrown type, he can avoid even Noble Phantasms, but he can't gain the effects of this protection with respect to wide range attack types where the attack range of the weapon explodes on impact, or a direct attack by a weapon that has simply long reach.**

**Noble Phantasms**

**Gáe Bolg: Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death- Anti Unit- B**

**-An attack focused on a single target, created by Lancer to suit his own style, that strikes a fatal blow that always pierces the opponent's heart and ruins their body from within with its thousand iron thorns. Once Gáe Bolg's name has been called, the cursed spear reverses the nature of causality, the meaning of "**_**cause and effect**_**" in the order of things, to make it so the cause of the "**_**lance being thrust**_**" comes from the effect of the "**_**opponent's heart being pierced**_**" by it. It determines the opponent's fate simply through its use.**

**Gáe Bolg: Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death- Anti Army-B+**

**-It is the "**_**attack that unleashes countless darts at the enemy**_**" that is spoken of in legends. It is the attack that made him a hero which utilizes the full potential of the lance's curse, converting all of Lancer's magical energy into raw energy and releasing the accumulated power after the spear is hurled, detonating on impact with enough power to blow away a multitude of enemies. It does not carry the property or concept of "**_**always pierces the opponent's heart**_**", but both the power and the area of effect are increased. Rather than dispatching a single foe with absolute accuracy, its focus as a technique is to attack the enemies together with the surrounding area in a carpet bombing fashion to cause massive destruction.**

* * *

I grit my teeth as they begin to battle once again.

If this comes down to a real battle rather than a test, he's got Okita beat in almost **every **stat besides Luck. And nearly matches her in the stat she excels in. However, I still think her **skills **have his beat though.

Protection Against Arrows doesn't apply here. Divinity doesn't seem to affect anything either. Rune Magic is versatile, but so far as I could tell, he didn't seem to use it much mid-battle during UBW. Battle Continuation sounds like a pain in the ass, but it is easy to workaround if you remember it's a thing, and don't let your guard down until you're **absolutely sure** he's dead. Disengage… the wording on that is kinda vague, but from what I get from it, it lets him limp away from a battle with ease.

Again, his Noble Phantasms… those we have **no **defense against. All we can hope to do is not give him a chance to use them.

As to how his compare to Okita's…

After learning what they actually were a while ago, I realized that they were primarily geared towards leveling the playing field.

Her **Coat of Oaths**, basically her Shinsengumi uniform, raises each of her stats by one. Meaning it would let her fight on Lancer's level. Two issues are raised with this. First being the fact that it is the **Shinsengumi **uniform. If she uses it, her chances of being identified shoot up. It also means a **big **increase in Mana costs. One of the reasons I was able to summon her so long before the war started was the incredible efficiency of the Assassin class. My lack of knowledge of how to properly feed her mana wasn't much of an issue thanks to that efficiency, as she could survive on what other Servants would consider scraps. If she puts on that haori, her power costs shoot back up. I know how to properly supply her now, but I'm still not very experienced with this. And my circuits are still fairly new to being used. I'm not sure if I can handle that spike in energy costs, or for how long if I can.

Then there's her next Noble Phantasm. Her **Flag of Sincerity**. From what I understand it should let her summon the rest of the Shinsengumi as weak Servants, each with a weak Independent Action skill. While this ability sounds impressive (and it is), the Mana costs are even **worse **than the haori. **Especially **if we use it anywhere **close **to its maximum. And it even **states **that it is the flag of the Shinsengumi to boot. Maybe if the situation arises we could use some of her friends as backup, or scouts… but not here. Lancer's Anti-Army Gae Bolg will destroy this force with ease.

In short, we can't use either without risk of exposing her identity, and it will most likely wreck my circuits to use in any situation where we might need it.

Still… using **any **of Assassin's skills is the opposite of what we want to do against Lancer. We need to keep these cards close to our chests if we want to beat Kirei's little faction.

Either way, we may need to use one, or the other if we're gonna make it out of this battle alive.

...damnit.

"_Okita, be honest with me, how're you holding against him?"_

"_Hard to say, the fight's only just started."_ she said, still distracted by the fighting. _"But if he's only testing us like you said… it's going to be rough when he decides to get serious." _...why did she say that like she almost **wants **this to be a rough fight? I mean… I **guess **I can understand the warrior mentality here, but… I'm also… y'know… here? She dies, **I'm **dead. And I don't **want **to be dead. All my stuff is here. well… all my stuff I bought using dead people's money is here. My **actual **stuff is in anothe- know what? Never mind.

I feel torn for a few moments before coming to a decision.

"_Assassin. I leave the use of your Noble Phantasm- Coat of Oaths, up to __**your **__discretion. Reviewing his stats, it __**should **__boost you more than enough to turn the tide without revealing your skills."_ It's risky, but it might be our only choice.

"_But if he- 'gah'!"_ she's interrupted by a jab from Gae Bolg that cuts her shoulder. However, it doesn't slow her down. And she keeps pushing him back. _"If he figures out my identity from my coat, he might figure out my skills from there!"_

...damn. She's got a point. Even if Lancer doesn't figure it out himself, Kotomine… well he's Japanese for one thing. He'd be more likely than me to be familiar enough with her legend to recognize her coat by description. But beyond that, as overseer of the war there's no doubt he's done his research.

However… that coat is the coat of the **Shinsengumi **not just Okita. It can belong to **anyone **of the entire police force. With more than a handful being famous… or infamous depending on how you look at it.

"_If he sees your coat, and recognizes it, he'll recognize it as Shinsengumi. He won't know which one you are. That's about as helpful as knowing Saber is a Knight of the Round."_ as in, that's a lot of people, with a lot of similar personalities, that could all fit as one particular class. And just as Artoria was believed to be a male in her legends, Okita was recorded as being a male in this world as well. Which, while convenient in helping mask her identity, doesn't make sense as, apparently, she never even **tried **to hide her gender. I can understand **maybe **one **particularly **retarded individual mistaking her for a **particularly **feminine male if they were** drunk**… but **everybody**!? Not **one **person thought to correct the record? Her parents? Her co-workers? How does shit like this happen? Come to think of it… it was **1863** when she was alive. How the **hell **did a woman join a special forces police group in **1863** and **not **encounter sexism on a level that would make modern feminists head explode like in Scanners!? And not just **not **encounter sexism, but have **no one** make **any **mention of it at all? And why the hel-

… know what? **Fuck it**. As a lover of history, this is** anxiety inducing**. Just gonna gloss over it. Pretend it all makes sense, and roll with it.

"_Hai Master!"_ hm. Guessing the rune is being picky about shit too...

**BZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT**

'**CRASH"!**

'**FWOOOOSH'!**

In less than a blink of an eye, she had switched over to her coat. Boosting her stats to just over the Lancer's. She then took a Kasumi no Kamai stance in preparation.

Lancer had been knocked back several feet by one of her strikes, and was analyzing the new situation.

"Okay, maybe you're a famous seamstress…" he thought aloud.

"Heh, you still can't figure me out, but… I'm **well **aware of your Legend." yeah, cuz I told you.

"Oh me? I'm just a humble Italian plumber. But you? You can call me Mario, Miss Peach." … oh so he **does **have a sense of humour that doesn't involve stabbing things.

"Eeeh, sorry **Sentata**. Your princess is in **another **castle." Assassin quipped back.

Lancer grits his teeth for having been found out, but then chuckles.

"Heh, if ya know who I am, y'know what happened to the last guy who said somethin' like that to me right?" he bites back.

At this Okita gets ready for his attack, but gasps when she sees he's not going for her.

He's coming for me.

I can't run from this.

I can't dodge this.

"Rrrrr**raaaaaaarrrgghhh!**!" Cu Chulainn charges right in with his spear, however, much to his surprise- "**What**!?"

She had almost teleported behind him too quickly to perceive.

"**Damnit**!" his instincts as a warrior were the only thing that saved him from the strike at his neck.

He uses the momentum of that attack to launch a wide swipe of her general direction, but that's about the best he can do.

I can't keep up. **Lancer **can barely see her movements now.

**'CLANG!'**

**'CLING!'**

**'CLANG!'**

**slice**

"**Dah! Grrrrr!**" he just took a cut to the leg! I-I'm not sure how damaging that is, but it's something!

"_Assassin! I can't see what you're doing, but keep it up!"_ I praised her.

"_All I can do is strike at less vital areas. Now that he's switched to defense I can't hit anything important!" _My Servant let me know.

My circuits seemed to be holding so far. But I could feel the increased strain.

In my **exceedingly **expert opinion, If she keeps the attack going I could probably keep it going at this rate for **just **under ten minutes of constant use. **Maybe **a little more if I needed to really push the limit.

Still, that's likely just enough time for 'death by a thousand cuts' at this rate.

"_Doesn't matter! Just get him to bleed enough to force a retreat. Lancer himself might be one to fight to the end, but Kirei likely ordered him to report back alive." _Do enough damage, and he might break off.

It's tempting to finish him here and now, but it's incredibly risky. Assassin's Coat of Oaths only levels the playing field, it doesn't bend things entirely in our favor. Right now she's matching him in strength, **far **surpassing his speed, **and **kicking his ass in luck. However he **still **has the endurance advantage. That, and there's his Noble Phantasm that will **still **catch her at **these **speeds.

Wait. Actually, his Battle Continuation might be an issue here. It **might **hold us off long enough for her Noble Phantasm to drain me completely. Yes, in all, he's **still **too much of a threat to take on alone.

In **theory**, we can kill him in this fight, but victory is far from guaranteed. I'd rather take him on with a clearer advantage.

"_Yosh!"_ Okita answered back while continuing the fray.

I'd provide commentary on what was going on, but really I can only see so much of it.

I just know that a blue blur is dancing around Lancer, cutting him in less than lethal places once in a while.

He seemed to be getting more, and more frustrated as the fight went on. After about two minutes of this (Or at least what seemed like two minutes if my circuits were to be believed) he seemed to be trying to get some distance. Whether he was trying to escape, or ready his Noble Phantasm is anyone's guess.

I breathed a sigh of relief. This might be counting our chickens before they've hatched, but if **this **was any indication of how any future fights might go, I- no, **we **might stand a chance in this war.

"**DIE**!" the Lancer thrusted hard at what he **thought **might've been an opportune moment, but he overreached. It let Okita get in between his defenses, and deliver a nasty cut across the waist. Bad luck on our part though. It didn't cut deep enough to really hurt him.

With an angry growl, and a clash of their weapons, the two were separated, and took a moment to catch their breath.

"((Dog like panting before taking a stabilizing breath)), Y'know, I gotta say, I've been having a lot of fun Assassin. Was expecting someone of your class to be a lot more… what's the word..?" he asked himself.

"... subtle?" she answered for him.

"Cowardly, yeah! Still… I think I might have your identity down…" Oh… double shit.

I grit my teeth when I realized that maybe using the Noble Phantasm was the wrong call.

"… a swordswoman of your ability… you can only be Hua Mulan!" or… maybe not?

… food for thought. Do you guys think Servant Mulan might come with an infinite supply of szechuan dipping sauce?

Once more feeling the atmosphere, I could almost taste the irritation in the air.

"Do I look **remotely** Chinese to you!? Did the Katana **not** tip you off!?" my Servant called him out.

Whoa, cool it down a bit Okita… you're starting to worry me.

"If it weren't for the Grail I'd have no idea what Chinese means! But regardless…" he loosens his grip on his spear, and drops into a more relaxed stance. "As per my Master's orders, I'm supposed to be testing out **all **the Servants I run into. And since I'd rather put your skills to the test in a mano-a-womano, I'll have to accommodate the company first!"

Company!? Who coul-

Oh… triple shit.

How the **fuck **did I forget **she **would be here too!?

Dropping the ball so hard it's hit the earth's core by now…

"Oh? So you **did** notice us…"

… wow. She's even cuter in pers-

No-No-**No**! Focus on the battle!

Rin Tohsaka walked out from behind cover looking very smug.

"I'm a Lancer Servant. Perception is kinda my thing. That, and you weren't exactly inconspicuous standing right there." Lancer pointed out.

My fists tighten. This ain't good. Lancer is one thing. He's clearly an enemy. That, **and** his Master isn't even fighting to win here. Hell, Kirei isn't even **here**.

Rin? She's probably my most competent potential ally. But right now, as far as she knows, we're enemy Masters. I have no way to prove what's going on with the war. One way or another, we will probably end up fighting. That means we're fighting her, Lancer, **and** Archer. The only comforting thought being that they're not joining forces.

This battle just turned **completely** unwinnable. Even if Okita beats Lancer, she won't beat EMIYA. I won't be able to power the Coat of Oaths long enough to maintain her advantage. That, and Rin has me **completely** outclassed in combat abilities. Our only hope is that Lancer, and Archer fight, and we get a chance to make a hasty retrea-

No. There's something else.

If these two are here, then that must mean **he's** here.

Now might be my only chance to get my foot in the door.

Right then. Priority one- save Shirou Emiya. Priority two- get the **hell** outta here alive.

"Ah, well this is just fucking perfect, why don't **all** you assholes just start showing up?" I find myself tempting fate.

I know I wasn't ready for this battle. There was gear, and equipment we left at home I coulda used, planning I coulda done….

**Fuck it,** no use crying over spilled milk. Just gonna have to wing my way outta this.

"Funny you should mention that-! ~Saber~?" Rin snapped her fingers, and Ar-

Wait-What?

No that's… that's **definitely **Archer that just materialized right now. i-I probably just misheard.

Anyway, there he was. Shirou-but-better. Looking **very **irritated.

"There are a number of things I feel I have to address at the moment Master-" the red-clad Servant was about to raise a complaint.

"Don't worry about it Satan!" Rin placate-

N-No I definitely heard her say 'Satan'.

...**what**?

"I know you'll mop the floor with these mooks!" she declared confidently.

"S-Satan?" I questioned… pretty much everything. My hearing. My Sanity. Her Sanity.

_"Uhh… Master, is she all there?"_ oh good, Okita heard it too.

_"I… I have no fucking idea."_ I answered.

"**Rin…**" her Servant growled out.

"That's right ya no-name hack! Whatever you **think** your Servant has, they ain't got nuttin' on my Saber!" Tohsaka gloated.

"**Rin don't-!" **Archer seemed to be trying to get her to back off.

"But… that's not…" I wasn't talking to her. More mumbling my thoughts aloud.

This… this **wasn't** Rin!

Rin was an eloquent Tsundere with something to prove.

This girl… she was a **teenager** playing a **game**.

C-Could this be a cause of the butterfly effect? Or-

"I... thought it was impossible to summon Divine Spirits as Servants?" Assassin voiced her opinion. Seeming to break out of that wolf-like character.

"It is, or at least it should be. But let's all be honest here… it wouldn't be the first time some rule was broken in the Grail Wars." Lancer reminded everyone.

Eh. Fair point. His Master is proof enough of this.

"You have a point Lancer... You also have a decent explanation." Okita made a Dad joke.

_"... meh. Three outta ten." _I judge.

"Consider yourself a comedian huh?" Lancer readied his combat stance once more. "I look forward to wiping that grin off your face… but first..."

He turns to Archer.

If the Devil truly does stand before me," he doesn't tho? "my duty as a hero compels me to assign **him** as a priority. As long as that's fine with you Assassin?"

"Depends, think you'll have the juice to keep coming when you're done with him? Cause this is the most excitement I've had in nearly a week." Now that's-

Know what? That's fine. She's a Heroic Spirit. She's supposed to be fighting, and the most we've done the last few weeks is spar.

"Hmph, lady? I could go at it for a whole week." The Lancer-

Is he flirting with my Servant?

Okita appeared by my side in the next moment with an eager smile.

_"Hmph, what? Not gonna wish your boyfriend good luck?"_ I teased her.

_"My-? Wh-wh-what!?"_ She immediately began spluttering. Realizing what both I, and Lancer said. Then devolving into incomprehensible rambling.

I sighed in both amusement, **and** exasperation. The idea that a Heroic Spirit could be teased was… well, amusing, and exasperating… what do you want from me a fuckin poet!?

"Under normal circumstances, I believe it's customary that two warriors ought to exchange names before trying to kill each other. Care to share Saber?" Lancer probed for information.

"Bite-me. What's yours?" Archer talked back..

"Oh me? Names Mario. First name Mario, last name Mario. Mario-Mario." ha **ha**.

"Funny, I almost took you for the great Italian spearman Cu Chulame." oof. Ya gonna take that?

"Bite me Bite-me." The Lancer responded. Irritated.

… this… this aint right. Lancer **might **be one for joking around in the middle of a fight, but Archer?

"I caution you Lancer. You've chosen a **terrible** opponent as your first…" EMIYA warned as his twin blades appeared in his hands.

Readying for the ensuing fight, I cleared my mind. Once those two start fighting, I'd have an opportunity to move.

"_Okita."_ I get her attention. _"Our prospective ally is going to be here tonight, and he's gonna be in danger. Keep an eye out for an out of place redhead."_

My Servant looked around, likely using senses more powerful than mine then- _"Got him. Dojo, forty meters to your four o clock."_

I turn to the area she directed. I saw the dojo in question, but didn't see Emiya, still, I trusted Assassin.

"_Right. Second they're distracted, we move to an optimal interception position. You keep watch on him in spirit form, and be ready. I'll work on a way to get him clear." _It was a simple plan. An improvised one really, but it's the best I can come up with on the spot.

"_Hai!"_

I noticed that Archer's facial features seemed to be shifting into something like unbelievable frustration.

"Looking nervous there Saber?" The Lancer asked rhetorically. Personally, I'd say he looks more distracted.

"I am merely granting you the final moments deserved of a lamb about to be slaughtered." Archer threatened.

It took but a moment for the pin to drop.

"I'm starting-!" The Lancer warned.

"Not if I start first-!" 'Saber' charged.

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

**Clang!**

**Clang!**

**Cling!**

"_Wait for it…"_ wait until they're fully zoned in…

I've seen this fight before… but it was honestly much cooler to watch in person.

Even better, I can even see what's going on now!

No- I can't get distracted by how cool this is.

"It's a long shot, but I think I got your true identity down!" Lancer claimed, "That blade in your hand is Kansho. That means you have to be the tragic blacksmith of China, Gan Jiang."

Ooo. Not quite buddy. He's just guessing all over the place.

"Secrets out! You got me!" Archer mocked as he attacked once more.

"**Actually~!**" Rin shouted/

Yeah. This **isn't **the Rin I know. This just **isn't **how she acts.

What the **hell **is going o-

"He's the Fallen Angel, **Lu-ci-fer!"** she claims, muttering something else not long after.

"...(**Okay**, what's wrong with her?)" I can't help but ask aloud.

"**Rin!**" The red Servant shouted as his blade clashed with Lancer's spear with all his strength.

"**Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!**"

A burst of Mana launched Lancer through a building.

That didn't slow him down long, as Lancer leapt out, and brought his spear down- "Your **mine**!"

_"Now!'_ I judged this as our moment.

Okita disappeared from sight as I moved to the building with as much subtlety as I could.

"_It's a good thing I played all that Assassin's Creed…"_

I moved into the building, and tried to remember exactly where Shirou was supposed to end up going when-

"I WANT THAT!"

...that voice…

"I'M SORRY!"

I've heard it before… but where?

"Prou!?" Fou snaps me out of that distraction as he hops onto my head.

I shake off this feeling of familiarity.

Second floor. He makes it to at least the second floor before being stabbed.

Running, running, running, running, running,

There was some shouting and-

_"Master. I've been engaged!"_ My Servant alerts me as I find myself in a stairwell.

_"Keep 'em busy!"_ I order.

Looking to my right, I could see him. Generic Protagonist #7… we meet again, for the first time…

He was staring wide-eyed at the two Servants fighting it out.

Well… here goes something…

"Hey you!" heh, genius Rob. Genius.

Well, that caught his attention at least.

"Come with me if you want to live!" … this ain't exactly sci-fi, but it'll do.

"Fou!" I know, I know buddy, i… it was the best I could come up with…

Shirou looked torn about something, looked to see the meat grinder that was two Servants fighting, and decided-

"Shit-Shit-Nope!-" yes. He **does** want to live.

… okay, that voice is gonna be bugging me for a while. Where have I heard it before!?

"Follow me!" I race up the stairs.

"So uh... would kinda like a little explanation please!?" Emiya asked for information, clearly lost.

"Long story, I'll tell ya later. For now, trust me." Yeah, this is definitely one of those things you'd be sitting down to explain.

Finding myself on the top floor, I begin looking around…

"(Course, I lead us somewhere without an **exit**. But I guess if it weren't for Lancers awful timing this wouldn't be an issue.) whatever. Just gonna have to make one- come on!" I command as I run down the hall to the closest way to the exit of the school.

"So, can I just get a run down or-!" Emiya again tried getting some information.

I thought up a quick explanation that oughta shut him up for a while.

"You're a Magus right?"

"Um, I do Magecraft, yeah. Why?"

"You ever see Battle Royale?" Since the Hunger Games wont be out for another eight years, that's the best example I can think of.

"Uh… yeah?" oh good.

"Basically **that**, except with Mages. Again, long story." Like, seriously. So long you'll be able to fit it into three separate timelines. And one prequel.

I stopped in front of one of the classrooms. This will have to do.

"Hold on! Why are you all killing each other!?" wrong **place**, wrong **time **for twenty questions my dude.

"I'll explain later, right now, you run home and do your thing!" I ordered as I opened the door.

Just gotta wait for him to summon Saber, fight Lancer, a-

Wait, how's he supposed to summon Saber if Lancer doesn't-?!

"W-Wait! How am I supposed to get ou- **No**, how are **you **supposed to-!" Damn! There goes my train of thought.

"We'll figure **that **out later, Just-GO!" I shouted as I tossed him right into the room and-

**SLAM**

Slammed the door behind him.

Good, now we just gotta-!

"_M-Master 'cough'! He's coming your way!"_ … ah quadruple shit-!

"HEY!"

… apparently, my day has become one big **shit **machine. A crap **factory **if you will. A turdacopia-

"No one gets to assault my friends but ME!" this not-Rin claimed.

"The hell are you-"

"Fou! Fou!" my little friend warned.

I felt it right after he said it. The big mana source coming for my **head**.

"-fuck!" with advanced warning, my body was just barely able to avoid that spear aiming for my face. However-

**Wham!**

**Pain**

"((Noises of sudden pain))!" I was not able to avoid the oncoming dropkick.

Okay… **ow**. That's gonna bruise...

"There once was a Master in Black,"

I heard him begin to rhyme once more as I tried picking myself off the ground.

"He didn't have a plan of attack. It wasn't too smart, but he fought with heart." Fou tried having my back by biting his ankles,

"((Sounds of small animal pain))" the bastard kicked him across the hall right next to me

"_FOU!"_ I checked to see if he was alright. Luckily there were no permanent injuries I could see, he was just roughed up.

"Sadly," Lancer continued as… oh **I **see you there… "his grave will be this school."

Rin was approaching him slowly from behind. Gem in hand. If I could time this just right…

"Sorry boyo, I can't let your friend run off. Mage Law and all that. But hey~! Least ya tried!" Lancer 'consoled' me.

"That's where you're wrong Lancer." I tried holding his attention just a second more… "I'm **still** trying. And if that's not enough, I think I got somebody with enough try-hard for both of us."

Pretty sure that doesn't apply to the **original **Rin, she's got **plenty **of raw talent, but this one?

"Your Servant didn't seem to be in a condition to make much of a difference." Lancer pointed out.

Guessing from the coughing she just got hit by the Pneumonia? Dammit… gotta check on her soon…

Still, it wasn't her I was talking about.

"...Who said anything about my Servant?" I smirk, to his confusion.

"100% MAXIMUM-"

"Shite-"

As he turned to face the oncoming shiny, I scooped Fou into my arms and fucking bolted for it!

"-**NO CHILL!**"

**BOOOOOM!**

Using the explosion as I cover, I made my way to another stairwell.

"_Assassin, what happened?" _

"_Master! You're okay! I-I'm fine now. It's gone."_

"_... rally up on me."_ I order as I make it downstairs.

Sure enough, after a few seconds she appeared before me as I hit the ground floor. She still had her coat on, but I didn't feel the drain as bad anymore since it wasn't in constant use.

She was trying to clean up some blood on her mouth when we met up.

"What happened?" I asked

"I'm okay… I just got too excited I guess…" she admits, disappointed her illness got the better of her..

"... we're **going **to be having a talk about this when we're done here." I say, leaving no room for argument.

I hadn't given it much thought before, but now that it got in the way of a battle, we're gonna have to do something about it. Or at least look into some preventative measures.

… anyone know how effective cough drops are against Servant skills?

"Meantime, you **sure **you're good now? Do you need a minute?" I get around to asking.

"I-I'm good." she nodded affirmatively.

Whether she was telling the truth, or simply putting on a brave face... I had no idea. Still, we didn't have much choice.

"Then I hope you're ready for another fight. Lancer's still gonna be after Shirou. Our next move could make it, or break it for a potential alliance." I deliver exposition.

"Understood. I am ready." my Servant sounded determined.

"Right then. You track him down, and keep Lancer off his back till he's ready. I'll be right with you." no way was I keeping up with a Servant. "Good luck."

"Hai!" Okita responds as she disappears once more.

Alright, now I guess we're heading to Emiya's?

I walk outside and see the bloodtrail.

Well, least I don't have to know the precise address…

* * *

_Minutes later…_

_Emiya Household_

"((Out of breath)) Ok… Cardio… 'pant'... still needs work… good to know." I say, leaning against one of the walls of where the trail ends.

Having jogged all the way here, I can't help but feel like I'm **really **regretting waiting till my life depended on it to start working out.

Anyway- judging by the sound of excessive violence inside, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this is it…

Making my way inside, I climb to the roof of the main building to get a better view.

… again, Assassin's Creed.

"-Where are you **looking**!?"

**BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT**

* * *

"** *** **** ** **** *****, *** **** **** ***** * ***** *** ****?

"**, ** * *** **** ****** ***** **** **, ** **** ** *** ***** ******."

* * *

**BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT**

…

…

I know that voice. But this… this isn't like Shirou's. There were… there were **echoes **in this one. I don't know how to explain it.

It was like… something out of a forgotten dream…

I shake off these feelings… I gotta **focus**. Probably just some magical bullshit.

I take a moment to look around… this all seems familiar…

Lancer, and Arth-**Saber** were facing off. Except this time Assassin was there too.

… is it just me, or do Saber, and Assassin look alike?

"Alright, enough games! Which Servant are you?! What is that weapon!?" Lancer demanded to know.

"Confused? Perhaps I'm beating you with my faithful bow, Lancer." the Knight responds.

… so, did Saber, and Archer just… swap classes, ooor..?

"Oh **sure** Robin Hood, where's the merry men?" the Lancer quips.

"My classification eludes you, but, it sucks to be you." the Knight smiles knowingly, "I've figured out your identity…" clever girl...

"First name Mario, last name Mario…" he jokes.

"**Cu Chulainn**! Ireland's Child of Light, and faithful **dog**."

"'Gasp'! But Mario Mario was **so** foolproof!" Okita remarks sarcastically.

This seems to break Lancer's immersion, as he pauses to ask my Servant, "... so, do I just... have this stamped to my forehead, oooor..?"

I mean… we know because of our Meta knowledge here, Saber's just clever, and Archer's from an alternate future where this already happe-

…

...

… you don't think-

"Actually, you should feel lucky Lancer. My own Master had **no idea** who I was when they summoned me… (actually **kinda** disappointed by that to be honest.)" ...I mean… the Shinsengumi never really **came up** in American history classes. Go figure.

Still, probably best to provide an excuse/explanation.

"Your skill with a distinct red spear, acting like an almost rabid dog half the time, and just generally being hard to put down. You're the first hero that comes to mind in that regard." it was either gonna be Cu Chulainn, or Rostam.

… why is Shirou looking at me like that?

"And you!" the Knight continues as she looks at Assassin, "A swordswoman of the Far East of your caliber, you can only be- Tomoe Gozen!"

Note to self, look up Japanese legends, and myths late-

...Okita?

She's looking like she just took a punch to the gu-

Oh.

"... Assassin, it's no big deal-" I'd imagine **not **being recognized when you're a legendary hero would be a tad disappointing.

Although… I mean, look on the bright side. Being compared to what must be a legendary swordswoman in ability would be quite the complement.

Well, that's supposing Tomoe Gozen was actually a legend **worth** being compared to… again, looking this stuff up later,

"Yeah, that's… kinda the problem." she sighs, "well, at least you got the right country. You're out by a couple centuries."

"...is this important to you?" Saber asks carefully.

Well, it wasn't a couple weeks ago at least…

"Y'know, before I was summoned, I probably wouldn't have cared... but now? I'm starting to." Assassin admits.

… okay, now **I'm **starting to feel bad.

"_C'mon Assassin...I know your legend now. I think it was all pretty cool."_ I try my best at reassuring her. Saber continued before I could get a response.

"A shame. If this were any other circumstance, I'd be sure to spread your legend around. You're a real blast." she says before seeming to trip up on one of the words, "Blast… I guess that works?"

Wha- What's she doing?

"You're acclimating to all the modern slang the Grail taught us." The Lancer analyzes.

Oh… I guess that makes sense. Modern language might take a minute to grasp for someone from over 1500 years ago. Grail, or no Grai-

"Fo Shizzle." she continues.

…

….

"...why?" there are… no words.

"It takes a while." really? Okita was pretty much up to speed in like, three minutes. And in an entirely different language to boot. "Don't worry though. You won't have the time to worry about getting it **right**!"

He seems to be getting another attack ready that involves a lot of red mana.

"I WANT THAT!" alright, alright man. Chill out Kiri-

Wait… **what**!?

The mana begins to swell before I realize-

Wait… this is whe- "-OH-MY-SHIT, ASSASSIN! **BAIL**!"

Code Red! Code Red! This is the big one!

"H-Huh!? Oh right-!" she turns to her presence concealment mode as I duck for cover.

"**Behold**! The fangs of Chullain's **dog**!" Lancer announced-

"**Gae Bolg!**"

The spear is thrown, and a fate is sealed.

The Knight is quick to react, and tracks the throw of the spear as easily as she tracked the movement of Assassin.

Still, it hit **hard**, and **fast**. So she was **almost** a goner.

"Your attack was strong but your aim was faulty Lancer!" She declared as-

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

* * *

-sa deralced ehS "!recnaL ytluaf saw mia ruoy tub gnorts saw kcatta ruoY"

.renog a tsomla saw ehs oS .tsaf dna ,drah tih ti ,llitS

.nissassA fo tnemevom eht dekcart ehs sa ylisae sa raeps eht fo worht eht skcart dna ,tcaer ot kciuq si thginK ehT

nettirwer saw etaf tub ,nworht si raeps ehT

* * *

**Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt**

… wh-what?

Was that… was that Gae Bolg's effect?

"Your attack was strong but your aim was-'gasp'!"

The spear struck Saber, throwing her about, but didn't hit anything vital. Making a 7/10 landing.

"Okay, not to be a sore loser or anything… but did that attack just miss? That attack rewrites causality!" totally not a sore loser everybody.

Still, he's got a point. It's beyond insane **any **hero has the ability to resist an attack of that kind, let alone two. Three if you count Hercules regeneration ability. I mean, it will **technically **kill him, but does it really count if he doesn't **stay **dead?

I guess you could say people **should **die when they're killed?

"My instincts, and my luck. Those skills together saved me." Saber explained.

"Well that's **dumb**." yup, **totally **not a sore loser. "My attack that will always strike the heart was disrupted by a metaphysical critical role on a D20. In that case," he turns to leave, "my Master has instructed me to return if my Gae Bolg were to ever be used."

He's runnin-?

"You're running?!"

"You're running!?"

"Okay now I'm **definitely** seeing it." …wow. Now that I can hear them I've started to notice how alike Saber, and Assassin look.

"**Yeah**! My Master is just a **bit** concerned about me facing an opponent that can survive fate altering attacks. Besides, I'm not all that interested in a three way. Too many opportunities for cheap shots." he claims as he leaves.

"Aaaaawwww~!" Assassin groans out in disappointment.

S-So he's really leaving? We **won**?

W-Well we didn't really **win**, we just failed to lose, but…. We made it out of the first battle on top.

The sheer amount of relief spreading through my body cannot be measu-

"In that case, it seems like it's just you and me Assassin." Saber tries looking around for Okita.

Oh… uh… better clear this up real quick, "Oh-! Uh- no actually! This was just a mistake-!"

"It would seem so **Saber**." … uh… Assassin? What're ya doin'?

"N-No Assassin! We're here to talk-!" the entire point of this.

"Then, prepare yourself Assassin!" oh please no.

"(Oh, being ignored…)" why do I feel like this is Karma for something?

A swing of a sword, the sound of two swords clash through the night.

There was a blur. An age old dance of blades. Kojiki Kiyomitsu vs Invisible Air. Knight to Samurai.

**CLANG!**

**CLANG!**

**CLING!**

**CLA-!**

**WHAM!**

… Okita?

**CRASH!**

"**Assassin**!" that did **not **look good.

C'mon, C'mon, after everything tonight **please **be oka-

**Whosh!**

…

**...**

**Thump-Thump **

**Thump-Thump**

The world slowed down for this moment, my heart pounding in my ears was all I heard. As I turned to behold her approach, I felt as though I was but an **ant **standing before a **Dragon**. This girl- this **King**-wanted me dead.

There was nothing I could do.

I wasn't strong enough to defy her.

I wasn't fast enough to escape her.

All I was, was a **dead man**.

And yet, beyond all this, I could fee-

**C-c-crrrraaackkk**

…

…

…

…

…

**PAIN!**

I felt pain.

**WHAM!**

**PAIN!**

"((Quiet sounds of excruciating pain))'' There was a sense of great delirium for what felt like ages.

"******!?" someone was saying something, but I was a little out of focus at the moment.

"s-she kicked me in the dick..? **why**..? **why **would she kick me in the dick…?" processing… processing…

"M*s**r!?" w-who's- Okita? "MASTER!"

It all came back to me. Where we were, what was going on.

...still stung like a bitch though.

"I-I'll live Oki-**Okita**!? Are you okay!?" I just saw her get knocked through a wall of** concrete**.

She seemed surprised for a second before answering, "O-Oh, I'm fine! Nothing this Servant can't take! But what about **you**!?"

"I said I'll be fine… she just got me pretty damn good… gimme a second here an-"

"WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME!"

… today is just **not **my day…

Saber came flying over the walls to attac-

**RIN**!?

When the **fuck **did she- rii**iight**, **riiiight**, Archer.

… Oh shit, **Archer**!

He moved **just **in time to protect Rin from Saber's attacks.

"Shit-Shit-**Shit**!" he swore as he blocked, and redirected her attacks. "Hold on! Saber- Saber let's talk about this!" he tried communicating, but she wasn't having it.

Shit, if Rin's here-

Wait. is she-

Oh **shit**. Rin's taken a hit.

I don't know how, or when, but she's bleeding from the head. That's **definitely **a concussion at best.

"Master! I'm going to engage!" wait- what!?

"O-Okita hold on a second! Remember we need them **alive**!? A-And didn't you **just **get knocked through a wall of concrete?" I try to get her to focus.

'Sigh'… **why **did I have to get one of the Servants with a battle fetish?

"Huh? O-oh… sorry Master. I just got a bit carried away…" she seems deeply disappointed at this.

**Damnit**. It's **impossible **to get mad at her.

"Look just… don't let anyone die, **especially **you!" I ordered.

"Right! I got this!" she responded as she launched herself into the fray.

She immediately blocked a blow meant for Archer who then-

The **fuck**!?

Get the **fuck **back here you ungrateful twice orphaned son of a-!

**CLANG!**

**Damnit**! **Now **how are we supposed to de-escalate!?

Think-think-think-thi-

_**FWOOOSH**_!

Vibrations rang through the air as Saber knocked Okita back a few feet.

I lock eyes with the Dragon once more.

Oh.

So this is what they call a brush with death?

It wasn't gonna be a low blow this time.

As Excalibur prepared to take my **head**, I found myself wondering how I got to this moment.

Were my failures tonight my own? Or a result of **Fate's **cruel hand?

Was all of this the **best **I could do? Or was my weakness holding me back?

Was I worthy of being a Master? Did I have **any **right being here?

Should I have run when I had the chance?

…ah shit. Guess I can chalk this up to the last, **greatest **fuck up of my life.

Wish I had some great last words for all of you… some **grand **ancient wisdom...

Well, you lot stuck around this long, so I'll give ya this. So listen closely-

Fu-

"Saber! **STOP**!"

A pulse of energy flies out from the hand of the boy holding the Kings chains.

I wasn't listening for a few moments… just pulling myself together…

I take a deep breath, calm down, and think….

"_Okay Master… you wanted to talk our way outta this… I hope you know what you're doing…" _Okita snapped me back to reality.

"_Funny… I was just thinking the same thing…"_ I tell her as I try to formulate a plan going forward…

Right… just focus on what I need to do.

What do I need to do?

Well, first step, let's **de**-escalate. I take a moment to adjust my glasses before speaking,

"Well… Shirou Emiya. Listen up, I'm about to make you a deal you can't refuse." I smirk, setting up a serious moment befo-

"_Master! I know that look! Please take this seriously!" _my Servant requests.

But ah~, my sweet, innocent manslayer, taking this seriously is the **last **thing I want to do.

"...care to swap Servants?"

**WHACK!**

"'Yooooww'! C-C'mon Assassin! I was just joking-!"

"Waaaaah! My Master's being mean!"

While we were having our little skit, Shirou could only stare on in confusion as Saber lowered her blade in bewilderment.

* * *

_End Theme- Disney's Hercules - GO THE DISTANCE (Michael Bolton) - Caleb Hyles Cover_

* * *

**And that's a wrap! Let me know what you all think in the reviews, and have a great day. **


	10. In Review

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**runelt99- while he remembers who Lancer's Master is, Orso did not remember any of the Servants stats (remember, he got his info from the UBW anime, and has been working on assumptions based on that), and was reminding himself just to be sure. Not sure that that chapter was particularly filled with filler. Hell, it seemed to me like the most action packed one yet. But, that's your opinion.**

**doomqwer- That will be the last time a pov shift happens like that. If there will be any, it will mostly be through interludes.**

* * *

_Chapter X: In Review_

_Date: 02/02/2004_

_Time: 8:19 pm_

_Location: Emiya Household_

* * *

…

…

…

This is… awkward…

After everything had calmed down, we all decided to clear everything up.

Right now we were sitting down in the same room they were at this point in the anime… only this time, no Rin.

Given how she was acting earlier though… this might be an improvement.

Thinking my way through this, I thought of what to say next.

Knowing Saber was going to refute most of the claims I had about the **true** nature of the Grail, I decided to just go with what Rin would have told him anyway, and hopefully work on directing him to where he needs to be from there. I'm not gonna be 100% honest right off the bat. I really have no hard evidence for any of these things. I'll just stick to the things that can be confirmed right now.

How he'll actually figure out his magecraft without a real Mage, or his future self to help him out… well, we'll work out **that **detail later.

I **know **the way he's doing it is wrong, but I don't know exactly **how **to fix it. Just gonna have to hope Rin comes back in time.

And then there's… that. Something isn't right here. **No one's** acting right. I want to put my finger on what **exactly** that means, but I gotta focus on this right now.

Anyway, here we are. Shirou's place. Drinking tea.

Now that we're not fighting, I was originally expecting Saber to be rather curious about how, and why she and Okita look alike, but so far she's been stealing occasional uncertain glances at **me**. I guess I look like a rather suspicious person right now?

My Servant was back in her kimono, having swapped the Haori out at some point. Saber was still wearing her armor.

Fou, in the meantime, was sitting on my shoulder while staring intensely at Saber. I could only guess at what was going through his head.

Me and Shirou were sitting at opposite ends of the table. Each waiting for the other to start.

_"... well, if no one else is gonna say anything_...Okay... Guess I'll start…" I catch everyone's attention, "What do you know about the Holy Grail War?"

I, of course, already know that he doesn't know **crap **about it right now. This is all for building my character as a randomly selected Master for the war that took his time to do some research on the conflict.

"The Holy What'sitnow?"... again with that voice… it's on the tip of my tongue…

"Okay… what do you know about magic? You said you were a Mage right?"

"... I said 'I do magic', yes." well, that was a great answer.

"Okay, let me break this down. Those command seals on your hand are a sign that you've been **volunteered **as a participant in an event called the Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail War is a blood soaked conflict fought five times between competent Mages, and people like us." I frame the conversation like we're on the same side… although **technically **we **are**, just not in the game every other Master is playing.

"A bit harsh, but not **un**true." Saber remarks.

"Hold on! Why are you people doing this!?" Shirou demanded to know.

"People have many reasons to join the war, but for most, it's **usually **to get the Holy Grail." I carry on.

"The Holy Grail? Liiike… the Jesus one?" Well, no.

"Not... **really **no. It's… (I guess the name's more a metaphor than anything else?) **No**, the Holy Grail in **this **war is **not **the one Jesus drank from, **or **the one King Arthur and his Knights looked for." both me, and Okita noticed a subtle twitch from Saber at the mention of her legend, "**This** Grail is a magical construct created by Mages in order to achieve the third true magic. They just call it the Holy Grail because "Magical Genie Murder Cup." didn't have the same ring to it."

"..." Shirou stared at me blankly.

"... okay, in **layman's **terms, supposedly, if you get the **Grail**, you get to make a wish on it. And since it uses soft magic to do this, you essentially get to wish for **anything**."

"Anything?" he grew wide-eyed at this.

"**Anything**." I nod.

"Even… for example… to get superpowers, and save innocent people?" I can only smile. At least **this **hasn't changed. I can work with 'idiot hero' so long as he doesn't get himself killed.

"That **does **file under anything, yes." I could see gears turning in his head, "Then you can see how that **might **be tempting to people?"

"Yeah I'm followin' you so far… but how exactly is 'Saber' involved?" and thus, we get to the interesting part.

"We are heroes from history. Called forth from the Throne of Heroes to fight by the sides of our summoners." Saber answers for me.

"F-For real!? You're heroes!?" Shirou looks at both the women in the room in admiration.

"For real."

"For real."

They respond in unison.

"Oh… does that have anything to do with why you both look alike?" Tha-

Huh. Was wondering that myself actually.

The two Servants stare at each other for a second before both answered.

"No."

"No."

"... Moving on… each Master is supposed to get a Servant of one of the classes. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, and Berserker. With their skills and abilities usually being described by their class. Everyone kills each other until there is one Master-Servant pair left standing, and each of the winners may each get a wish from the Grail." I continue.

"O-oh… I don't suppose there's a way to win… **without **killing anyone?" well… I suppose UBW Shirou didn't kill anyone that wasn't already dead, so **technically **yes?

"It's possible, but insanely difficult for many reasons. Technically speaking, only six Servants are the ones that **have **to die, and seeing as they are Heroic **Spirits**, they are **already **technically dead… technically. But killing a **Heroic Spirit** isn't **exactly **a walk in the old murder-park. And since the squishy meatbags that brought them **in **to this mortal coil are the only things **keeping **them here, most Masters, and Servants go after the Masters involved. Without a Master to supply Mana, the Servant disappears."

Shirou takes a moment to consider this carefully.

"Okay… but I'm unclear about one thing." really? Thought I summed up this mess pretty well so far.

"And that is?"

"Who are you Exactly!? And -not that I don't appreciate this- why help me?" o-oh.

Kinda forgot to introduce myself here.

Man, I'm fucking up every five seconds at this point...

"Oh! Uh… right. The name is Robert Orso. A lot like you, I got volunteered for this little pow-wow. And as for why… well, there's a couple of reasons. And to be blunt, reason number one is that I'm looking for an ally in all this. There's a lot of tactical, and strategic reasons for wanting to team up with the Master of the Saber Servant." there's also the fact that you're the bone of your sword, but let's not talk about that yet.

"You're being awfully forthcoming with information for the Master of Assassin." Saber noticed.

Well, I'm really not. I'm keeping at **least** half the story from these two. Although I suppose the parts I am talking about are **mostly** true, from a certain point of view.

"Like I said, I did not **want **to get involved in **any **of this. But, now that I **am**, I'm **basically **stuck with the role. If I actually **wanted **to join the war, I woulda tried for a Caster, or Archer to be honest." not that I particularly **liked **the Heroes that served those roles in the original war, the class description really fits my style of warfare. Long range tactical comba- why does Okita have a dark cloud over her hea- oh. "Uh- not that I don't like **you **Assassin, I think this has worked out great so far! Better than expected actually!"

"(So your expectations **were **low…)" ... wow, I am just **terrible **tonight...

"H-hey now! Y'know I didn't mean it like that!" I tried consoling her.

"Um… not to interrupt your… thing... but I couldn't help but notice you said you said you were stuck with it?" Shirou called us back.

"Er, yeah? What about it?" I pause from our little skit.

"Well, can't you just… quit?" well… yes, and no.

"Well, there **is **a man overseeing the war that's **supposed **to protect Master's that either lose their command seals, or want out of the war… but for complicated reasons specific to me, I can't back out now." well… it's not so much that I **can't **back out, as much as it is that I **shouldn't**, "But that's a limited time offer. Ya want out? You better do it now while you still can."

'Course, I was just being up front about this. I didn't exactly expect him to look like he was considering it!

He had a hard look on his face like he was seriously thinking this through… which actually is a big step for him. I'd be happy if it didn't mean his backing out would make my planning fall apart completely.

Alright Orso think… what was it that got him to sign on in the first place…

I feel like I'm forgetting an important detail that would make this personal for h-

"Then why don't we talk with him."

I turned to my Servant in surprise.

"Assassin..?"

"Hear me out," she starts, " this priest guy is supposed to be the overseer of the war, so he'll be able to explain the stakes from a place of authority, and if you still aren't interested, you can end it there, and pretend none of this ever happened." she offered.

_"Okita… what're ya doin'?"_

_"I got an idea, just play along…"_ I'm not sure about this… but I'll go along with her for now…

"... I'm just not sure about any of this…" if I had to guess, I'd say he was torn between a desire to be a superhero, and the fact that he'd have to kill people to get it… although I could be misunderstanding his character here.

"If it's of any comfort Master, no one would think any less of you for choosing to not fight in a war you don't have any stake in." Saber lets her Master know. "I'm sure the overseer is an honorable man that will see his duty through."

…

…

The silence was very telling.

"... yeah… let's go with that…" I respond awkwardly.

"You hesitated…" Saber asked, out of the loop, "...what?"

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

_Miyama..._

"But… Kotomine could be a **common **name… right?" Saber asked her Master.

"... Orso? Who's Kotomine Kirei?" he asked for her.

Yeah… Saber wasn't too keen on the idea of the man being alive, let alone the overseer, if her look of utter disgust was of any indication when I mentioned the name. I'm guessing keeping a Servant around after the war was **far** from the most terrible thing he did in the 4th war.

On that note, if she was trying to hide her involvement in any of that a secret, she wasn't being particularly subtle about it.

"Well, besides being the overseer of this war, he was a Master in the last one. Came pretty close to winning too." which should speak volumes about his skill, and abilities...

"So it **is** him…" Saber spoke with venom.

"Oh so you know 'em? That saves about five minutes of explanation…" as long as she's being direct about it, I'll warn them upfront, "you should know that he means **business**. I know he'll do his job, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own motives."

"Wait, if he's the one that's supposed to be organising this whole thing, shouldn't he be… y'know… neutral?" Shirou asked.

"Yes. Yes he should." I gave a vague answer.

"...oookay..?" Emiya responded with a suspicious inflection.

We traveled in silence for a minute before I spoke to Assassin.

"_Sooo..? You said you had an idea here?"_

"_Yes, and no."_ **that's **encouraging, _"You said Kirei was the one that convinced him in that version of the war you saw, right?"_

"_Well… yeah, but there's nothing he said to Emiya that I didn't hear. I don't really see why we would need to go to him. Saber's right. He sucks." _

"_That may be. But Kirei knows how to do something you just don't have much experience with." _

"_And that is?"_

"_He knows how to manipulate." _not sure how I feel about that.

I mean… I **want **to say I know what I'm doing here… but I **almost **got Emiya to quit the war by **accident** after I **forgot to give my name**. Maybe I **should **leave this to a professional bullshitter…

Still, she has a point. We might have just ended up walking to the church anyway if I couldn't convince Shirou. If he didn't want to be involved… I'd think of another way around the bad guys. I was never gonna force, or lie him into fighting a war he wanted nothing to do with.

It's weird actually… I assumed he would have jumped right in when he learned people were in dan- oh. **That's **probably the detail I forgot… I thought I was **implying **it when I said this war got bloody… yeah, might be best to leave this to Kirei...

Yeah, when Shirou learns innocent people are in danger, he'll sign right up. Though Rin might've been acting weird earlier, and Shirou seems to be sounding… off, I can **still **count on what I remember so far.

Oh yeah… and then there's… **that**. Something was **really **wrong with Tohsaka back there that couldn't be my doing. Rin just **doesn't **act like that. I mean… 100% no chill? No-name hack? **Satan**!? I don't know **what **she's on… but I **kinda **want some of it. Is that weird?

And then there was Shirou's voice… it was on the tip of my damn tongue for a second…

Something's **wrong **here. I mean- worse than usual for the Holy Grail War... and apparently **that's **saying something.

Well… maybe it's just a quirk of the multiverse. Just a **slightly **alternate timeline where people just don't act, or sound the same.

I don't know… I have a baaad feeling about this...

_"... I don't like this… the less we interact with Kirei the better, and then there's… and then there's… something?"_ I think I just had a stroke.

_"Something? Isn't __**that**__ specific."_ she responded sarcastically.

_"No… there was something… something there afte- oh. __**Crapbaskets**__."_ And it's all coming together now…

_"Crapbaskets?"_ Okita tested the word.

_"Uh… would now be a bad time to mention that Berzerker is supposed to show up if we go there?"_ better late than never…

_"Oh… so you're saying I just walked us into-"_ she slowly realizes.

_"Into a trap, yes." _this shit is going so **wrong** so **fast**…

_"Ah… crapbaskets indeed."_ knowing who Berzerker was, even Okita hesitated for a moment.

Before we continue, I'd like to take a moment to remind everybody that I didn't plan tonight out. I **think** I grew complacent waiting about three weeks and just got blindsided by all this.

All in all, this night is probably #1 in my top ten list of big brain moments.

That doesn't explain how I forgot to tell Okita about **Berzerker** though… yeah I think I'm gonna start writing this shit down now...

_"What? The 'genius swordsman' Okita Souji is actually __**scared**__ of something?"_ I joke to relieve the tension a bit.

_"Pfft, scared? Nah~. Wondering how she's going to take down the first person that comes to mind when people think of mythological heroes? Maybe."_

I smirk for a brief moment before turning serious once more.

_"I don't think there's an easy way to back out of this now… not unless I can think of something __**really**__ quickly…"_ I grimace trying to think of a way to back out of this without drawing suspicion.

We came to a stop in front of the bridge connecting Miyama to Shinto.

_"While Shirou is doing his thing I guess I'll have to just think of ways to deal with Berzerker… I don't think we'll be able to talk our way out of this one…"_ this wasn't going to be like with Lancer. Illya intends to do some damage.

_"We were going to have to fight someone seriously eventually."_ My Servant reminded me. _"Actually, on that note, are you holding up okay?"_

Right… if you'll recall my first fight for my life… it didn't exactly end well. Apart from a near death experience, I completely lost it. I panicked. This time…

There was fear in the Lancer fight, but it wasn't like before. It was like it was put in the back burner in my mind. I was able to think my way through it.

_"It was better than the first time."_ I answer simply.

She nods in understanding.

"So uh…?"

We both turn to Emiya.

"You guys have been standing staring at each other for at least... two minutes without saying anything… is there a problem, ooor-?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it."

We both answer at once before moving on.

"... oookay then?" Emiya blinks in confusion before whispering to Saber, "(I can't tell if these guys are intense, or crazy.)"

My eyebrow twitched at this.

"(Master, if there's one thing I learned about Mages in my life, it's that they're **all** a little coo-coo for cocoa puffs.)" Saber tells him before asking herself, "(Wer- Were those even words?")

Ah. Still doing that modern slang thing.

"For the record, it's probably intensely crazy." Okita jokes, surprising him.

"Also, I prefer Cheerios." I smirk at this.

We kept bantering with each other along the way to the church…

* * *

_Five minutes later…_

_Outside Kotomine Church..._

"Alright… this is it. If you're sure. Really, really, positively, **kill-Your-PLANETCALLY** sure**,** you want to talk to him," I make a half assed attempt to get him to back out.

"Well, the entire reason we're here is because I'm **not** sure. So yeah c'mon Sa- Saber?" Emiya noticed Saber was waiting outside the gates.

"Any meeting between an Emiya, and a Kotomine sounds like not-my-business." she wasn't touching this with a thirty foot stick.

Guessing there was some beef between Kiritsugu and Kirei?

**Really** regretting not getting to watch Zero… it probably coulda' helped more than any other series...

That reminds me. Probably gonna have to ask Saber about that later so long as she's talking.

Okita was staying outside as well to keep watch.

"Wait… what do you mean? I've never met this guy before." Shirou stops to ask. To which I provide a vague answer.

"Let's just say you're more involved in this than I let on." I open the doors without elaborating.

**Creeeeek**

The wooden doors announced our presence to the priest, who turned up from the bible he was reading from.

"Y'know, when I said I was obligated to help Masters in the war, I **should** have said that I'd like to be contacted beforehand so I wouldn't be **interrupted** in the middle of the night." he says as he turns to us, and notices Emiya.

"I wasn't aware war had to set up appointments Kotomine." I sass.

"It's more a courtesy than a requirement… er… Ersa, was it?"

...

"You already forgot my name." I deadpan.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you even made it to the first night of the war." meh, fair.

"Uh… excuse me?" Shirou interrupted, "New Master? Worried about dying?'

Kirei pauses for a moment, then looks at me with hope in his eyes

"... 'sigh', **no**, I did **not** bring you a serial killer." I say, exasperated.

"You're just a cornucopia of disappointment, aren't you?" the fake priest sighs before addressing Emiya, "So, how can **I **help **you** young man?"

"Yeah… so my night so far has been these tattoo things showing up on my hand, then a guy in blue spandex tried to murder me, then a blonde girl started beating people up, and calling me Master, **this** guy is telling me I'm fighting for the Holy Grail that isn't actually **the** Holy Grail. And now 6 super-people are out to murder me. So… what's up with that?" well said.

"So, I'm starting from the beginning then?" Kirei asked rhetorically, "In any case, as Overseer, it is my duty to provide new Masters with information regarding the war, ensure the integrity of the ritual, and provide shelter to failed Masters."

"Yeah… see, I'm not all that into killing people… or **being** killed. So can I just… resign or something?" Emiya looked for a way out.

"I **am** capable of transferring your Servant to another Master." Kirei informed him.

Y'know… if he **does** end up quitting… **I'd** be more than willing to accept Saber…

I mean… just so the **priest **doesn't get her.

"May I have your name for the official record so I can put you down as- "the Master who quit before a single Servant died."?" oooh… playing to a person's pride?

"Not loving your tone right now… but … Shirou, Shirou Emiya."

…

**…**

"... no way…" Kotomine grows a genuine smile.

Hook, line, sinker.

"Huh?" Shirou notices his sudden tone shift.

"Emiya?" Kirei wanted to confirm.

"...Yyyes?" the redhead suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Can you spell that?" Oh you **know** what this is bub.

"Uh… E-M-I-Y-A?"

"Say it again for me."

"... Emiya?"

"...(Oh-Lord-above-I-have-seen-your-wisdom-and-my-faith-is-renewed.)..." the priest above gives thanks to the Lord. "So about your wish Shirou **Emiya**,"

"Right. This guy told me that Masters get a wish if they win." Oh good, he was paying attention, "But just to be sure… do I have to kill the other Masters?"

"No. Only six **Servants** must die." the priest assures him.

"It doesn't always work out like that though…" I speak up. "In fact, it almost **never** does. Most of the people that signed up for this are **more** than ready to take the expedient, **lethal** option. Mages aren't exactly known for being particularly moral people. Case in point, the son of a bitch that ordered his Servant to **murder** witnesses when they can just as easily be neuralized."

Shirou considers all this for a moment.

"This… this feels like what I've been waiting for my entire life… but I would be stepping over everything I belie-" he pauses before looking at-

**Step-Step-Step**

Oh… he's doing it again.

**Step-Step-Step**

"... what are you doing?" the redhead asks the priest.

"Oh don't mind me. I'm just predating." he answers while doing… **that**.

**Step-Step-Step**

"He… he predates… **apparently**." I can't help but sigh at this.

"To be honest, I have to wonder why your father never told you about his time in the Grail War." Kirei drops **that** particular bomb.

"M-My dad?!" Emiya blurts out.

"Yes… Kiritsugu Emiya. I can't help but find it odd that he'd teach you magecraft, yet never mentioned anything abou- oh… I **see**…" the gears turn as he thought aloud, "Of course… he wouldn't tell you about **that**."

What is he-

Oh… yeah… **that**.

The tragedy at the end of the last Grail War. The one in which Shirou lost everything.

I can imagine explaining the circumstances of that event to a child might be a bit… difficult.

"What are you on about!? What does my **Dad **have to do with this!?" Emiya demanded to know.

"Emiya. The last Grail War took place ten years ago." I try to explain carefully.

"Ten years a- o… oh." he grows pale thinking back to those events. "You mean-!"

"Yes. The disaster ten years ago. That was a result of the end of- Emiya?" I was about to carry on the exposition when I noticed Emiya was zoned out. In fact he seemed to be trembling, and reaching a point of hyperventilation-

O-oh.

… what exactly are you supposed to do when someone's having a panic attack!?

"Emiya?" I tried getting his attention, but he waved me off before stepping away for a few seconds.

I stood waiting awkwardly while he fought the urge to hurl.

"I take it back Erso. Your visit has certainly made **my** night." the priest let me know, to which I could only groan in exasperation for what seems like the twelfth time tonight.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Outside the Church…_

The night was utterly silent. There weren't even any insects making a sound.

…

…

…

"... So…?" Okita perked up when Saber awkwardly spoke up, "your Master wouldn't happen to be British… would he?"

"No." Assassin answered simply.

"...hm." Saber refocused her attention on the environment.

* * *

_Inside the Church..._

"...Ya good man?" I asked the redhead as he started pulling himself together.

"Y-Yeah just… give me a second…" he took a breath before refocusing. "right... so… that… that **hell**. That was because of… all this?!"

"Indeed." Kirei carried on, "At the end of the last Grail War the winner, for what**ever** reason, used the Grail to cause the destruction on that night."

"But… but that's **insane**!" Shirou was trying to process that someone would use the Grail for such a purpose.

"Your friend was correct in saying that Mages aren't the most moral people. To be a Mage is to walk with death after all." the priest continued.

"But… all those people…"

"If you are opposed to the idea of such an event happening again, your only real choice is to win the Grail yourself." or, you know… not let it be used at all.

"A-Again!?" Shirou was shocked to hear that there were no precautions taken to stop that.

"Yeah, there's not much anyone can do if anyone with similar intentions wins the Grail." I carry this on. "It's an **all** **powerful **wish granter after all."

It took Emiya a few moments to think this through before coming to a decision.

"There's no choice then… I'm going to fight!" he declared with certainty.

Oh good. At least I'm not going to be fighting alone then.

"I couldn't be happier to hear that Shirou… **Emiya**…" Kirei continued to savor the name like it was Hamburg Steak. "And for what it's worth… I'm sure your father would approve of your choice."

* * *

_Outside of the Church..._

"It was a pleasure meeting you Shirou Emiya. I'm sure we'll get along **famously **in the future." pfft-yeah. Fat chance bub.

And just like that the priest sent us off, leaving Shirou with a lot to think about.

"Look, I'm... sorry about bringing up what happened like that." I should have expected it really. But still, I suppose this was just a band-aid that had to be ripped off. Didn't mean I felt any less of a dick.

"It's fine. I just… wasn't expecting that…" Emiya slightly shudders at the memory.

It was then that Saber, and Assassin took notice that we were done in there.

"Have you reached a conclusion?" Saber asked cautiously.

"I can't let the events ten years ago happen again." her Master clenched his fists in certainty. "I'll fight!"

"Very good Master. Let us join together and defeat the other Masters. Without the use of guns, or high explosives." Saber said, likely in reference to her previous Master.

"Was it really that bad? You make it sound like Kiritsugu was John Wick on a rampage." I was actually kinda curious what exactly happened in the last war. Again, wish I coulda' seen Zero.

"I do not know who John Wick is… but I think that the best way to describe the man would be, "The ends will always justify the means."." She describes the late Emiya.

I take that to mean he was a cold blooded son of a bitch that **meant **well. One could probably guess that that set of morals would clash with those of a Knight.

"W-Wait, you knew my dad?" the young Emiya rhetorically asked his Servant.

I'd give him a pass on missing this one. He's probably got his mind on the war itself rather than his Servant having mentioned that there was some animosity 'between a Kotomine, and an Emiya.'.

"Unfortunately…" Saber looks back on those events without much fondness.

"He was her Master in the last Grail War. Apparently they didn't get along." I elaborate.

"How-"

"I did my homework." I give a vague answer to Sabers' question before she finishes it. "When I made the choice to fight this war, I made sure to learn all I could about it. In fact, I'd bet the only person that knows more about the participants of this war is the Overseer himself."

Shirou nodded sagely at this. "I guess that explains how you knew I'd be a Master before** I** did."

Ah… here's a glimpse of the smart cookie to come.

"Right. When I looked into the war, I also looked for the descendents of previous participants, and made a calculated guess that you'd be participating in the war based on your Fathers past as a Master." I bullshit an explanation for a lot of what went down tonight.

"..." Shirou zoned out for a moment, "(... I'm teaming up with Mage Batman…)"

…

...

"Wait- what was that?" I **just** felt something click there.

"Oh… uh… nothin!" He almost seemed to shrink up at whatever it is he said.

"..." I give him a dead stare as I think for a moment, "Do me a favor. Say, "Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!" All excited."

Emiya seemed a bit off put by the odd request before replying- "uh… oookay… 'ahem', "Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!"."

* * *

"_-and you're not Batman are you~? You will __**never **__be Batman!"_

_"N-No. What could p-__**possibly**__ be wrong in this scenario..?"_

* * *

"_I WANT THAT!"_

"_The Mithril Pebble of Pig Smiting!"_

* * *

"_100% MAXIMUM NO CHILL!"_

* * *

…

…

…

**FUUUUUU-**

**BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT**

-why do I suddenly hear boss music?

Both me, and the Servants turn to the sudden burst of magical energy-

…

…

Fuck my life…

"A Servant! Prepare yourselves!" Saber declared as both Servants went into their respective battle stances.

_"I hope you have that battle plan ready Master."_ Okita once more began to grow a deeper tone of voice at the prospect of battle.

"Oh? You finally noticed me?"

Huh? Deja Vu?

Almost appearing out of thin air, we now all see the albino loli, and her **not **so little friend.

**Creeee-CLANG!**

The Gates to the Church close behind us… and I can only assume it's because Illya is related to Walter C. Dornez based on the thin wires attached to it.

_"... They sent a child to die…" _Okita whispered, aghast.

_"Don't let her appearance fool you. She's actually older than me. Homunculi are weird like that."_ I let her know, hopefully reassuring her.

"I'm disappointed, Shirou." the girl let her 'Onee-chan' know with an eerie smile, "I was looking forward to crushing you alongside someone a little more… mage-like. But **he's** all you could get?"

… Well that's rude.

"('hmph', I chose to take being"**un**" mage-like as a compliment.)" considering some of the bullshit they usually do… I'm good with the moniker. "Stand back Emiya. She's more dangerous than she looks."

"Oh? So my reputation precedes me?" she was pleasantly surprised to hear, "Regardless, I'll still introduce myself. My name's Illyasviel von Einzbern. Though my family refers to me as "Tiny Murder Machine."."

"Einzbern…" Shirou repeats the name with vague familiarity, "I think… I think Sakura's grandfather said something about me knowing people with that name…"

Eh? Grandfather..?

Oh riiight… I think I remember Shinji mentioning him in that scene when he was with Gilgamesh… and all those weird bug things...

… wait… Shirou never mentioned anything about that in the show… I don't think we saw it either… could it be a Visual Novel exclusive thing and just got cut out-?

"And **this **is my Servant Burr-zerr-car." she gestured to the massive demi-god standing next to her, "Watch out, he might **drive **you insane."

… I feel like this is Karma for my bad puns earlier.

"The Einzberns are one of the three families that started this war. They're all a bunch of test-tube, designer baby, killing machines purpose-built to make people like us look like children playing a game when it comes to magecraft." I described the family.

"I'd say that's about right." the girl concedes, "But still, if magic is but a game-."

"**▂▃▄▅▅▅▆▆▇▇████!**" her monster of a Servant let his rage loose as we all braced ourselves.

"**Let's play**." She ordered darkly just before-

**Thrrrooooom!**

Her Berzerker leapt thirty feet into the air, and was coming into us **fast**.

"Master leave this to me!" Saber told her Master to stay back before rushing to meet our foe.

**CLAAAAAANG!**

Their clash resounded through the night.

The speed, and power of the strike released a shockwave, nearly blowing us **mere** humans off our feet, and forming a crater beneath them.

Saber was knocked back at least twenty feet. Kicking up dirt, and debris along the way.

"Master, orders?" my own Servant asked of me. Any hesitation gone.

"Support Saber. Let her take the brunt of the fighting, and strike at any vulnerabilities." Like the Raptors, and the T-Rex teaming up against the Indominus Rex.

We don't have to beat her. Hell, we don't **want** to either. We just have to get her to get bored, and fuck off.

"Hai!" beginning to think I really fucked up this translator rune… well, least it didn't blow up.

…

…

The fact that **that** is my bare minimum degree of success is disappointing.

Meanwhile, Saber was on the defensive. The massive Servants ferocious assault keeping her on the backfoot.

But it wasn't like the fight with Lancer. I could at least **vaguely** make out what was happening.

The swings if his club were wild, **almost** predictable. In fact, Saber seemed to be able to avoid most of them. Only clashing with the magical olive-wood when she tried to get a strike in.

**Crash! Booom!**

The ground began taking damage with their fight. Each swing scaring the earth.

Herakles narrowly avoided an excala-air whack to the face, and was about to counter when Okita joined the fray, her katana slicing at his exposed backside.

"!" It didn't seem to do any damage though. Probably just pissing him off.

"What the hell's going on!?" were... you not paying attention dude?

"Uh… the Servants are fighting? Where have you been?" I turned to the apparently slow Emiya.

"No, I **see** that! I mean… how? Why!? Whaaa!?" Okay, now **he's** having a stroke. Apparently **that's** contagious here too.

"Okay… I **think** you're trying to ask me how they're performing feats that appear to be beyond human?"

"That one, yes." he nodded.

"Well for one thing… they're **not**. Human, that is. Well, not completely. This is what it means to be legends. To be counted among **heroes**, after all, one has to be something beyond special, something almost** beyond human**. **Servants** are heroes distilled. Un-living weapons of **mass** destruction."

**Clang-BOOOM!**

"... I **want** thaaat…" so… is that his catchphrase or something?

Back to the fight- our Servants didn't seem to be making much progress.

Only Saber had the raw power to do any **real** damage.

Even if Assassin re-equipped her coat, I'm not sure if she'd make a scratch. Her strength would match Sabers, but wouldn't amount to anything. Without a Noble Phantasm like Excalibur, or an extra power boosting skill like mana burst, we wouldn't make it past the threshold needed to counter God-Hand.

Maybe… just maybe the Lightless Three-Stage-Thrust would do it… but that's at **best **only one life taken. And would probably drain the last of the mana I'm supplying.

Our only other option would be attacking the Master, but that's also out of the question.

I'm unsure how many lives a full Excalibur beam attack would take… maybe enough to get Illya to think twice?

Then again… she only backed off last time because she was like a cat playing with its foo-

"!"

**Wham!**

"**OhmyBuddha-**!"

**Slam!**

**Crash!**

One of Berserker's swings knocked Okita through several trees.

This gave him the chance to focus entirely on Saber for a few moments. Launching a series of wild strikes that thankfully never found their mark.

**Clang!**

Saber blocked the massive club with her blade. The force nearly knocked her off her feet. But she recovered quickly, and launched a counter attack.

"Now before you turn out to be someone I like, **die**!" She ordered the Servant with a swing of her invisible sword, however, the hulking behemoth was able to properly judge the length of her blade, and narrowly dodged it. "**What**!? How are **you** a Berserker!?"

Herc was to counter her attack with an uppercut swing when-

"I'm back!"

"**▅▅▅▆▆▇▇████!**" The giant bellowed in rage at the surprise attack on his back.

Okita slid under Herakles retaliatory swing, and rejoined the fray.

"Oh. My. God dude! This is awesome!" Shirou fanboyed over what he was watching.

"No. **Not** awesome." I responded, and gestured to the Berzerker, "Look at that monster. He isn't taking **any** damage. If the battle goes on like this he'll get in a lucky hit **eventually**. And comparing the Einzberns Mana reserves to yours or mine, we can't hope to play for a war of attrition. Our big hope may be Saber's Noble Phantasm."

"Noble Phantasm?" I guess I'm just the exposition guy now?

"A Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of a Servant's legend, their **ultimate **ability. **Most** Saber Servants have some kind of OP beam weapon. Hers **should** do the trick. Either that or..." there **is** her mana burst attack… I **think** we need to hold Berzerker down to do that to its maximum effect.

"Ooor…?" Hold on I'm thinking!

"**Or** we find a way to disrupt his senses long enough for us to bail out and come at this from a position of strength later." We don't **have** to win every battle head on. Illya is not necessarily a threat that **has** to be taken down anyway.

And besides. We don't have enough weapons to overcome God-Hand twelve times. We get like- two **max** from Saber (not sure if Excalibur will only take one life, or take many at once. So I count it as only one.). **Maybe** one from Assassin with her special sword skill.

"You mean you want to run away!?" Shirou accused harshly.

"Not really... "Run Away". That implies giving up. And we're **not** giving up. We'd be regrouping, reorganizing, and preparing a proper plan of attack." He will win who knows **when** to fight and when **not** to fight.

"That's right!" Illya decided to add her two cents, "Run Shirou! Run as **far** as you want! But know no matter the **distance**, no matter the **plan**, Berserker will **still** obliterate you." she then turned and… decided** now** was a good time to go for a walk? Then fucked off into the woods.

Emiya heard this, and seemed to choose to stubbornly stay put.

"_Well, repositioning is out…"_ moot point anyway. I doubt Saber would go along with it. Damned warriors pride and all.

The state of the battle seemed largely unchanged. Okita would strike at exposed areas while the monster had no choice but to attack Artoria because **she** might actually do some damage-

No, wait, that's it!

_"Okita! Switch it up!_ _Saber is the only one that can do any damage, so if you switch to your Haori to hold him off, we'll be able to make some progress."_

It was risky… pitting Assassin against Berserker. I won't be able to power her Noble Phantasm for long, but we weren't getting anywhere like this.

Okita listened, and disengaged for a moment to switch into her uniform, then moved to block a cleaving motion headed for Saber.

**BZZZT-PAIN-BZZZT-PAIN-BZZZT-BZZZT**

_"D-damnit!"_ My circuits still aren't used to being used like this… I'll only be able to supply Assassin with mana for two… three minutes at the **most**.

Okita's strength level was a B in this state, matching Sabers. But it didn't hold up to Heracles's unrestricted A+ strength for very long, so she was forced to give ground.

Thankfully, Saber caught on quickly enough, moving to attack. Her sword nearly slicing Berserker's head off had he not dodged at the last moment.

Or… I guess it wouldn't… because… God-Hand…

… please nerf.

The giant seemed slow to adapt to this change in tactics. Still trying to focus down Saber (who was trying to fall back, and await the opportune moment), while Assassin became much stronger, and aggressive.

His instincts had been a great asset to him so far. However instinct unguided by intelligence can only get one so far.

Which is why leaving your **Berzerker** unattended was a **bad** idea Illya.

This instinct led Berzerker into over-extending himself while trying to swat Assassin. He realized it, but was too late. Giving Saber the opportunity to-

"**Ex-cala-**" reveal her golden… golden… her…

**BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZT**

* * *

"**'s **r**** **********."

"** *d**l **a** *** ** *d**l k***."

* * *

"-**POK-**Gah'!"

…

…

…

Time… almost seems to slow down.

Blood.

So much blood...

**Fwoosh~!**

**CRASH!**

The Knight tumbled uncontrollably before coming to a stop ten meters in front of us.

There was **no **sign of life for a few moments. I couldn't see if she was breathing with that armor. My heart stopped. And how couldn't it? No one should survive that. **No one**.

Power equivalent to getting hit by a speeding Tank should be an **immediate **bad end.

And yet, what happened next, served as another reminder that we were **beyond **the looking glass now.

She moved.

It was a subtle twitch at first. Then her fingers tried to clench.

She wasn't just alive. She was **still **conscious, I realized, as she tried to push herself off the ground. Still losing blood.

"Saber!" Emiya called to her in alarm. About to rush to her when I grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Stay back! All you'll do is get in the way!" I tried to hold him back, but he brushed me off and ran to his Servant.

_"Damn fool!"_ I should have been expecting this! Rushing headfirst into a minefield to save someone without thinking is pretty much his MO.

"W-What are you doing!?" Saber **demanded **to know as Emiya both bravely, and foolishly, tried to help her up.

"Saving you!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "C'mon! Get up!"

For him, maybe it was. To just about everyone else here, it looked like he was making a **death wish**.

"Oh, how brave!"

I turned to see Illya watching us not too far behind her Servant. Amused at her brother's display.

"With that attitude the girls at school must be all over you!" well… she's not **in**correct, "It'll be a shame that when Berserker's done, they'll have to look all over to find you. A little bit of you on the **street**, a little of you in the **forests**, and some of you **staining the church's walls**."

"Funny thing actually. I think Kirei might appreciate that as a sign that there's a serial killer in the war." I say… not really sure why I did actually.

"Oh, **him**." the little girl spat with more vitriol than before. "I suppose once this… well I was gonna say battle but… I want to say spat but…"

"Slaughter?" I offer weakly. Too which she snaps her fingers.

"Yeah! That sounds right! I suppose once this "slaughter" is done, I'll have to pay him a visit. Berzerker?"

Her pet giant turns to attention, ignoring Okita's earnest attempt to do **something**. **Anything**.

"Let's put our toys away." and with that euphemism, he turned to the helpless two before me.

"Son of a bitch!" Shirou tried with all his might to pull his Servant to her knees, but found no such luck. "C'mon!"

"M-Master, run…" Saber… **he **doesn't work like that.

Okay what do I do!?

Shirou's useless!

Saber's out!

Okita's got nothin' that can scratch him!

I… I don't… I don't know what to-

Just focus on what I need to do.

…

We need to run. **Now**.

Our obstacle? Berzerker.

What's left that beats Berzerker?

…

"_Assassin! Use your Sword skill!"_ It was our **last **chance. A 50/50 shot.

Her skill was **A** ranked. It shoul- no, it **will **get past God-Hand. It **had to**.

The problem was… I was at my limit. Using it now… my circuits will **riot**. I'll **likely **survive that, but I **won't **be walking out of here.

…. Damnit. Just gotta embrace the suck...

"▅▆▆▇▇█**!**" The Monster bellowed as it made its move. Deafening my Servants response.

* * *

_One Silent Step_

* * *

Nausea.

Nausea, and a numb pain crept in from the edge of my senses.

But they were overshadowed by something.

* * *

_Two Steps Infinite_

* * *

Something that just shouldn't have been. Something impossible.

* * *

_Three Steps, A Sword __**Absolute**_

* * *

Nostalgia.

I felt Nostalgic.

* * *

Three strikes.

Three strikes, and time itself was defied once more.

The Monster let out no sign of acknowledgement. It remained where it stood. Having ceased moving mid-swing of its mighty weapon, hovering in front of… just Shirou?

Saber stared shocked at the development from the ground she had been pushed to. Her Master having been ready to sacrifice himself to save her was strange enough… but… why had the giant stopped?

Almost in answer, Assassin declared the name of her famous technique.

"**Mumyou SANDAN-ZUKI!**"

Three marks appeared on the Monster. At **precisely **the same moment.

Three marks, and the light in its eyes **died**. Blood spilling from its back, and neck. Its head barely held on by a scrap of flesh, and skin.

All was still. **None **had expected the Assassin Servant to deliver such a blow to the **mighty **Berzerker.

Illya stared on in curiosity. Unconcerned at the loss of one of her Servants lives… just surprised he lost one of them in the first place.

**pain**

A painful shot of static seemed to burst through my arm. Reminding to keep going.

**pain pain**

"Emiya! Saber! Time to leave!" I declared as the shocks seemed to start going off at random.

"Why? Your wicked cool Servant just killed it dead!" Shirou didn't seem to understand.

**pain pain pain**

"No! We just unlocked his second health bar!" The laymans terms seemed to get through to him, as he moved over to help his Servant back up.

**pain pain pain pain pain Pain**

"Master, why did you… why on **earth** would you do that!?" Saber questioned her Master.

**pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain Pain Pain**

My muscles began to seize up.

"Because… you were in danger?" spoken like a real hero there.

I tried to make my way over to them, but-

**pain pain pain pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain**

My body protested. My circuits declaring their distaste for my overworking them. Shutting down any and all attempts to get orders through the nervous system chain of command.

"G-Guys, we **need **to go! **Now!**" We don't have much time.

This seems to at least get through to Saber, as she decides to put off scolding her Master until they're in a less dangerous area, and manages to stand once more with Emiya's help.

"_C'mon… C'mon… one foot in front of the other…"_ I give my body a tutorial on walking, while trying my best to ignore the growing pain.

I make a few steps forward, before my right arm spasms.

**Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain**

"G-Gah!" I lurch forward, losing control for but a second, but it was noticeable.

"...Bats? What's wrong?" The fuck is with this 'Bats' thing Emiya?

"I-It's alright. I just… I just need to-"

**Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain Pain PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN**

"**Rrrrraaaaaaaarrrgghhhh!**" I almost collapse in front of him.

"MASTER!?" Okita rushed over, catching me.

**PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN**

Black spots began to fill my vision… was I passing out? Y-Yeah… that seemed right.

"I-I.. we need to… need to…." **AIN PAIN PAIN**

It's… it's getting hard to think…

**PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN**

I think Saber was saying something?

We were moving. We weren't where we were before.

Did I pass out?

Everything's blurry…

…

…

wait. I see somethi-

There's a light.

It's warm. The light I mean.

…. Am I dying?

… it's odd. The light… it… it's radiating such… such peace.

It feels like... something out of a dream.

But… why do I feel… afraid?

Not of death. Of **that light**.

It **shouldn't **be here.

But before I could question it-

**Everything Went Black.**

* * *

_End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA) _

* * *

**AAAAND that's a wrap! **

**I'd like to thank you all for your time, and hope you're all doing your part to flatten the curve in this global crisis… good lord 2020 is turning into a fustercluck.**

**Just remember, even if **_**you **_**don't feel personally threatened by this virus, think about the people in your life that are. Think of friends, family, and co-workers. Hell, think of total strangers. Listen to officials in your area about this matter, and save lives.**

**Stay safe, stay **_**healthy **_**everyone. And I'll see you all next time.**


	11. Silver Lining

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Okay, bit of a warning, this chapter is a bit fillery. But it does set up several plot points for later. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it.**

**thewookie1/Akashic Records- Well, even if he had thought of it at the time, he really didn't want to risk pissing her off by mentioning that. He wanted her to get bored, and back off, not get more angry.**

* * *

_Chapter XI- Silver Lining_

_Date: 02/03/2004_

_Time: 12:45 am_

_Location: Emiya Household_

* * *

_A quiet spot on a hill full of flowers._

"_It's perfect ******"_

_Huh?_

"_An ideal blade for an* **e*l ****." I tell them._

_Who… who is that?_

_I… I know them… don't I?_

_It grows warmer as the scene begins to dissolve._

_There's a girl… talking to me. She grows from a girl into a young woman in the blink of an eye. Her blade… it has become stained with blood for the first time. It won't be the last. Their eyes, once full of youthful optimism, now take in the scope of her role._

_We are at a battlefield now. The warmth… it's the bodies of the fallen turning to ash, and a sacrificed city turning to ruin._

"_So… this is the path I chose."_

_It was here, on this battlefield, that that light seemed to dim. Here where she realized what it meant to save some, by sacrificing others._

_Just as she might've begun regretting that choice, she remembered why she made it. Her soul seemed to grow cold for a moment. But only a moment. Before accepting this._

"_If this is what I need to do to make people happy… to make them smile... this can't be the wrong choice."_

"_What great irony it is-", I thought, "-that saving, and killing, so often come hand and hand."_

_Defense by Destruction. _

_Salvation by Sacrifice._

_Mercy by Murder._

_But you already know that. Don't you?_

_Hu-?_

**BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT BZZZZT**

* * *

"-uh?" I open my eyes.

A dream… this crap is getting weird…

I let the fog of sleep drain from my mind as I take in my surroundi-

Oh! Fou!

"Prou!" The familiar leapt onto me with relief.

"Didn't see you much during the fight… guess you played it smart and bunkered down, huh?" I assumed while scratching his head.

… so…. **apparently **I'm not **in **normal Fate.

… good to know.

I… didn't **exactly **plan for this…

So, in review, Rin's a lunatic, Shirou is the savior of Aincrad, Lancer likes poetry, Saber's about as subtle as Hiroshima. And Kuzu… Kazu... Caster's Master is quite possibly the most dramatic History Teacher… actually the most dramatic **human **I've ever met.

It's all starting to make… well not **sense**… but I am getting a full picture of this puzzle,

So, not only have I been dropped into an anime. I've gotten myself mixed up into-

"Ah, you've awoken."

I turn to the voice, and my brain trips up for a moment.

"O-Okit- **I-I-mean** **Saber**?!" **fuck**! "Um… Good... morning?"

"To you as well Master of Assassin." she nods from her own… futon?

Taking in the new environment, I **think **we're in one of the guest rooms of the Emiya residence. Me and Saber were placed about eight feet apart. There were tiny blots of dried blood leading to her spot. Rays of mid day sun passed through the thin walls, illuminating the room.

"... so… what **exactly **did I miss while I was out?" I dare ask.

"In case it wasn't obvious, we managed to escape from Berzerker. You have my thanks for warning us of its regeneration ability. We saw it pulling itself together just as we left the area." she began recounting the events I wasn't conscious for, "You continued slipping in-and-out of consciousness until about when we arrived here. After arriving at the conclusion that both you, and I would be incapacitated for some time, my Master, and your Servant decided that, for the time being, you both could stay here until you, and my Master, iron out the details of this proposed alliance. That was about eight hours ago."

"Right… that makes sense…" strange… why do I feel like she was omitting something? "So, where **is **your Master then-? **Actually**, where's Assassin?"

"Despite my telling him that it was a **bad **idea, both he, and your Servant are at school right now." she seemed frustrated that her Master seemed determined to get himself into as many bad ends as possible.

"...**Why** would Assassin go with him?"

"It was a compromise. Since he was determined to go, and I couldn't protect him in my condition, Assassin decided she'd use her Presence Concealment to keep guard over him. My Master protested, but she said she was under your orders to keep him safe." she explained my Servant's current absence.

Not **un**true. His safety **is **a vital part of the overall war plan.

I tried focusing on the Master-Servant connection in order to communicate with Okita, but then-

**BZZZZT**

There was… I guess it was interference? The connection **was **still there but… where it was once a 5g full bar connection, it now felt she was going through a tunnel in Chernobyl.

If I had to guess… I'd say that between Rider's (Still inactive) Noble Phantasm, and distance… and possibly the state of my circuits right now, there were many issues with the signal.

I tried amping up said signal with my magecraft when-

**BZZZT-PAIN-BZZZZT-PAIN-BZZZZT**

"**D-damnit**!" I swore at the sudden jolt.

"Orso!?" Saber seemed slightly concerned.

"I-it's fine…" I shrug that off, "I guess my circuits are still recovering…"

I just hope it's not as bad as when Emiya first projected Kanshou, and Bakuya…

It's **probably** not… then again, I don't know all too much about my own circuits to begin with. I'd say I should consult an expert later… buuut, the only other mage- **magic user** available right now is Emiya. And calling him an expert would be generous.

I haven't really figured out how to perform simple structural analysis yet, let alone self structural analysis, so what I'm actually working with here in terms of circuit numbers, and quality is anyone's guess. I'll definitely get around to it when the opportunity arises.

There's a lot to cover in Magecraft 101, and a lot of what's in the book Kirei gave me doesn't make a lot of sense… probably meant to be read with a guide, or teacher. Someone who's already a Magus. If I had to guess, I'd say it's some kind of security measure. Since it's meant to teach noobies about magic you don't want to place any magical defenses on it so they can actually read it, but you keep it esoteric enough that only those with intimate knowledge of the moonlit world can understand it clearly. Thereby needing to already either be a mage, or have a mage teacher explain things.

That, or I'm an idiot. Or both. Whichever works.

"Like I said, we're both likely to be out for some time. Probably the better part of today." Saber diagnosed.

"...Well… it could be worse." I find the silver lining here. The outcome of last night was a lucky one. We all made it out alive with negligible injuries… well… unless you count Rin… but that's a whole **other **can of worms now.

If this were the **normal **Rin we were dealing with… I'd assume after she recovered I would become public enemy #1. As the only known other Master she would try (and likely fail due to my not existing in this world until about a month ago) to find information about me before confronting me from an advantageous position. Likely with superior firepower, and magecraft.

But this **isn't **normal Rin. This one… she's going to be the wildcard here.

Assuming she's still one of the good guys… we **may **be able to form a coalition against everyone else in the war…

Dammit… there's just too many unknowns now. With everyone being… different, there's no guarantee they'll act the same way.

Oooor, maybe they'll still do the same as their normal counterparts, just for different reasons?

I suppose it just depends on the kind of parody we're dealing with.

I suppose with Mr SWE himself around I should expect the plot to resemble the original to a point. Everyone doing the same things they would've done in the original, just with everyone being some kind of idiot, or lunatic.

Right then. So our plans don't change going forward. This changes nothing except the chances of me coming out of this with my sanity intact being drastically reduced. Unfortunately however, this raises another question-

What's next?

I only (kinda sorta) planned up to this point. Now that I'm likely to ally with Emiya, what's step 2?

I'm not fighting for the Grail. If anything I want to avoid fighting the other Maste- **most **of the other Masters.

Let's think here… we can't make a move against Kirei, and Gilgamesh. Emiya isn't **close **to being ready. And we don't really have a legitimate Casus Belli against the priest at the moment. **We're **gonna have to wait for **him **to make a move… still don't like the idea of giving him the initiative...

So in the meantime… I think we need to focus on getting Emiya up to snuff.

Once I finish looking into structural analysis, I'll see what I can do about stopping him from using his nerves as makeshift circuits. If we're careful, that should improve his capacity as a mage.

Normally, I'd let an expert (i.e Rin, or Archer) handle this, but… frankly, I think we're gonna have to start operating on the assumption we're not gonna be getting any help from anyone from here on out.

...Oh! And then there's Shinji.

As the only bad guy in the war we can really fight with a chance at winning at the moment, our next move should be against him, and Rider. Besides, he's the most **immediate **threat to innocent lives

Right then. Phase 2 of my Master Plan- Train Shirou, Defeat Shinji.

Since Caster's Master could beat Rider with his bare hands, I can guess **our** Servants won't have too much trouble. Assuming we don't give him time to activate the Bounded Field around the school.

Okay then, so long as there aren't any other surprises, I think we'll be good for the foreseeable future.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Homurahara Archery Dojo…_

"I expected better from **you **of all people Shirou! I ask you to clean the place, and ya know what I see!? The dojo looks worse than it's **ever **been! You **broke **the floor! **How **did you **break **the floor you were trying to **clean**!? School don't have the money to fix that shit!" Emiya could only grow slightly red from embarrassment. It wasn't helped by the fact that he somehow **instinctually **felt that Assassin was laughing at him from her concealed form.

Thankfully at least, his guardian had taken him aside from homeroom to berate him about the dojo that had, to be fair, nothing to do with **his **actions.

Although, unfortunately for the redhead, the explanation of- "A Wizard did it", while **accurate**, is neither believable, nor legal.

Still, even if it wasn't **him **that did it, he still felt guilty watching Ayako having a nervous breakdown about the state of the place. To be honest, he wasn't sure which he'd be more afraid of, Ayako's reaction when she hears it was him that did it, or whatever punishment Taiga has in mind.

That girl had an ironically unhealthy obsession with Archery.

He was about to try to explain what had happened in a way that didn't break the **one **rule that **every **mage had to follow when-

**RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING**

Both he, and Taiga were distracted by the sudden sound from the P.A.

"'**tap' 'tap' 'tap' 'tap' ….. ((Clears Throat)) OnE HUnDrED PeRCEnT MAxImUM NYOOOO CHIIIIIIIII-!"**

**Boooooom**

**rumble rumble**

"_... so, silver lining, I think I've identified another Master…"_

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Three Hours later…._

_Emiya Household…_

…

…

I found myself gritting my teeth. This wasn't working.

After moving to the living room, to try and get the time to pass, I've tried… more or less meditating. A certain technique mentioned in the text that should help my mana recover just a bit faster. Unfortunately, something in this house has made it nearly impossible to clear my head.

This... awkward atmosphere.

There's this… strange tension coming from Saber… and I'm not all too sure what to do about it.

The suspicious glances haven't stopped since yesterday. I mean… I don't **think **I look that shifty, so it must be something I said, or did.

It's funny actually. Out of all the Servants from the original war, Saber's the one I thought I could at least get along with- well… no. Phrasing it like that makes it sound worse than it is...

Maybe I left a bad first impression?

Or… maybe she's just being defensive? I am technically an enemy right now. Although she did not seem to act like this with Rin in the series…

Sh-Should I say something?

…

…

"So…"

I nearly flinch when she turns to listen.

"... how are you liking 2004 so far?(?)?" I thin- did I phrase that as a question of a question?

"... my exposure so far has been battling heroes from the past, having a Master that doesn't seem to know what he's doing, an enemy that knowingly wants to ally with a Master that doesn't seem to know what he's doing, and Kotomine Kirei not only still being alive, but being the overseer of the war, **and **being confined to a bed for longer than I've been active. Barring some good fights, it hasn't quite impressed me yet."

Hm. So I guess she was right on the money with her being suspicious of me.

"Ah… well… I'm sure it'll get better. If nothing else, there will be some big fights coming up." fights to the death aren't my cup of tea, but for someone who lives, breaths, and eats the warrior lifestyle, this is essentially valhalla.

"Indeed. The Holy Grail War is far from short on worthy opponents. I do enjoy fighting amongst, and against such legends, (especially ones that **don't **turn out to be harsh reminders.)." she seems to remark this with some bitterness.

I barely made out that last part, but I can assume that not all of her opponents in the last war were necessarily ones she was proud to fight.

Hm. Maybe she had to fight one of her knights? With the sheer number of them the odds of any of them being summoned into the same war as her are considerable.

…

...

Are… are we already back to the silence?

...

...

God I'm atrocious at small talk.

…

"Can I ask you a question, Master of Assassin." Saber surprised me by opening up first.

"Uh… sure?" I awkwardly responded.

"Who are you?"

Eh-?

"Nothing of your story adds up. You say you were forced into the war, with no way out. Yet you seemed to imply you **accidentally **summoned your Servant. You also seemed to imply that you were more like my Master than other Mages, and yet you seem to have enough connection to the Magus community to claim to know much about other Masters in the war. Even to the point of knowing my Master would summon me before he did. And **then**, you claimed to know about events in the 4th Grail War that **no one **besides its participants should've known." ...er… um…. "At first I thought you might've been attempting to fool my Master, but my instincts told me that that wasn't the case. Almost as if you **were**, and **weren't **who you said you were. So, for the sake of my Master, I ask you, who are you?"

Uh… crap in a bucket. Wasn't expecting Artoria to be the detective…!

Quick! Think of something…. Think of something….

_You're Psychic_

"I'm... Psychic..?"

"You phrased that as a question." Saber deadpans.

"... a very confused Psychic?" I mean… technically, I **did **see **a **future.

I CAn sEE ThE fuTURE!

Saber looked like she was having none of it. And was about to question me further when-

**Creee….**

"Saber. Orso. We're back."

Oh thank god.

Looking to move on to literally **any **other conversation, I nearly leapt up from my seat.

"Emiya, it's good to see you made it back." I give a respectful nod as the owner of the house enters.

"Oh, uh, thanks? Still gotta wrap my head around the fact that I'm in a battle royal right now…" I guess he's just now realizing that he could've been attacked on the way here.

Well… I'd say that that wasn't a concern in broad daylight… but with so many rules that are probably gonna be broken by this war, I'm not all too sure I can guarantee that.

"I gotta say Master-"

Assassin seemed to apparate behind me, although I wasn't spooked like the first time she did it to me.

"-modern schooling was a lot more exciting than you let on. In fact you could even say it was **the bomb**…?" she nudges Emiya, who only seems slightly disturbed. "... too soon?"

"Just… a **little **insensitive. Someone **did **try to have me killed." ...eh?

"Wha- Are you alright Master!? Were you attacked?!" Saber gets in his face with a concerned expression.

"No, Saber it's fine, someone just tried and failed to kill me with a bomb."

...

"... **explain**." let's just ignore the lack of self-concern for now…

"Not much to explain. Someone hid a bomb under my desk, it went off too late and no one got hurt. Well… no one except the schools budget, but that's… less relevant."

I immediately went into a detective mode. Thinking of what this could mean.

"There's no way it **wasn't **a Master. Problem is, this doesn't really fit into the M.O of most of the Master candidates I know of."

"If it helps, the P.A came online just before. The announcer shouted "100% maximum no chill" with the volume so loud you got the impression that the volume knob was torn off in a manic fit of lunacy." …

…

…

"... (fucking Rin…)"

"_Silver lining, we now know for sure whether she's a good guy or not…"_

"_Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" _Okita pointed out.

"_Maybe." _I concede, _"But the way she did it was reckless. And could very easily have gotten bystanders killed."_

"Huh? Rin!?" Emiya seemed to hear me.

"Putting a pin in that," since everyone seems to be **physically **okay, lets change subjects, "There's still something that needs to be made clear. Are we allies?"

"Huh? Oh… uh…" Shirou thought about this for a minute before answering, "sure. I'm not completely sure what I'm supposed to be doing right now, so I'll stick with you."

I nodded in acknowledgement. At least this part had worked out so far. "Good, now that that's established, let's talk about how this is gonna play out. It's best to have the ground rules laid out from the start so there's no drama later."

"Alright. I'm pretty cool with just about anything except one detail.** No killing people**." the redhead states his demand with firmness.

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure I can accommodate that request with this war. I'm not… **completely **a bleeding heart, Batman style hero. Push comes to shove, I'll kill. By god I'll **hate it**, but I **will**. Still, I can at least promise this much-

"I'll agree to avoid it wherever there's another solution. But I won't lie, while I'll **never **harm a civilian, if we encounter any **particularly **evil Masters… they'll have their chance to surrender. If they prove to be trouble after that… that's the path **they **chose." I state my position on the matter.

Emiya considered my words for a moment.

"(If there's a chance to turn people like them around…)" he seemed to think aloud.

"...tell you what. If we happen to **both **agree that the evil person in question is irredeemable, or otherwise unstoppable, it's fair play." I'm agreeable to a compromise on this.

The Master of Saber mulled it over before nodding.

"Fine. But I'm sure it… probably won't come to that... (I'll just save those people too.)" He nods in satisfaction at whatever conclusion he came to in his head.

Save them too? Hmph, prepare to be surprised.

"Okay, we're good on that. Point two, how are we keeping in contact? Cause I don't got a phone, and my… let's call it a base, is a bit of a walk from here." At least… 10? 15 minutes? Leaving it like this while we're allies would be inefficient. A lot can go wrong in that time, and that's assuming we somehow know the other is under attack.

"... well, until we figure something **else **out, how about you stick around here? The guest room isn't really in use right now." Shirou offers.

It's not... **exactly **ideal. I spent a lot of time, resources, and energy working on my HQ.

Still, this is supposedly **temporary **until a better line of communication is available. I'll just deal with it until I get either a landline, or a proper familiar.

"Fine. I'll have to pick up a few things I've been working on later… but this'll do for now. So, any other questions or concerns?"

"Uh… oh! Just one thing, it's… a bit off topic, but the other day you mentioned that you knew about my dad when he was in the Grail War?" … well he's right. That **is **a bit off topic.

"What about it?" Where's he going with this?

"It's... been bothering me for a while, how the person I knew, someone that I know **tried **to be a hero got involved in all this. I guess I'm trying to ask about-"

"Why was your Father in the Holy Grail War?" I suppose it's a… fair question. If I learned the person I looked up to decided to join a big murder party, it would give me some pause.

"Right." he affirmed.

"Well, I can't say for sure the **exact **thing that drove him to join. The most I know of his involvement in the war is that he was hired by the Einzberns to collect the Grail for them. Although it should be mentioned that he had an infamous reputation as a mercenary, so one could guess that it was just another job for him, although with the **Grail **involved… I wish I could say more, but you're probably better off getting information about him from someone who's actually met him." I gesture to his Servant who seemed less than comfortable with the conversation topic.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd… rather **not**." Saber objected, "If you're **sure **you want to, I'll try to accommodate, but… that's a part of my un-life that I'd rather forget."

The redhead seemed almost disappointed by this for a moment, then came to some sort of idea before accepting this.

"That's fine Saber. If it makes you uncomfortable I won't make you relive bad memories." I suppose he'd know about that.

"Then if that's that, we can move on to **this **war? Good. Now, we clearly got two different issues going on at your school right now." shifting back to the present….

"What do you mean?" Emiya didn't know about the bounded fields.

"Well, besides the failed terrorist attack, there's another problem. I don't suppose you've noticed anything odd about the mana around your school recently?" I get us moving along.

"Not… really..?" he tried imagining what I might be talking about.

"Well, apparently someone's set up a bounded field around your school. A dangerous one if it ain't taken care of- actually? Nevermind! I think that other Master might have solved the problem." I realize.

"What do you mean?" oh, it's quite elementary dear Watson.

"Well, summing up, an enemy Master set up a bounded field at your school that was **supposed **to turn everyone in it into mana soup."

"Wait- **what**!?"

"But, thanks to that bomber, I doubt that'll be a problem!" nevermind what I said, good going Rin! Knew I was on to something last night...

"Oh, so they were trying to blow up the field?" Emiya thought. "A bit odd they'd do it **during **school hours…"

"Not exactly. See, there's** no way** the school would continue running after a bombing. No students nearby, no one for the field to nom on." I nod sagely, crisis averted.

"...errr… Orso? You… might want to rethink that..." the other Master tried putting this delicately.

"Hm? Why? Problems solved. Well… at least one of them…" field, or no field, Shinji's still gonna have Rider feeding on the townspeople. That shits gotta stop.

"See… about that... Our school's… not... **exactly **worried about it…"

…

…

"...excuse me?"

"Our school isn't closing because of the bombing." he answers simply.

I give him an incredulous look.

"But… a **bomb **went off… like an **actual **bomb."

"y-yeah…?" the redhead seemed only a percentage as surprised as I was.

"... and people… aren't the **least **bit **concerned **about this!?" shouldn't the police be investigating!? something!?

"...huh. Now that you mention it it does seem a bit weird." Emiya seems to realize.

"That's because it **is **weird! Like putting **ketchup **on **toast **weird on steroids!"

"Master…" Okita speaks up, reminding me to get back on track.

"((groan of ever increasing increadulation)) I know, I know… just… let's take a step back." I try not to get any more riled up. "Okay, so **that's **still a problem. So we got that, the bomber, and the Servant feeding on the townspeople-"

"I'm gonna have to start writing this stuff down…" Emiya deadpans. Yeah, probably woulda been helpful for me earlier too.

"- although at least two of those problems are tied to one person. So, it's probably best to deal with them first. Two birds, one beatdown." we're coming ya little shit.

"Uh…."

"Oh, long explanation short, one of the Masters is having a hard time supplying their Servant with Mana, so they're taking it from civies with the field, and having their Servant drink the blood of the innocent." that about sums it up. "You remember seeing the quote unquote "vampire attacks" all over the city on the news? That would be them."

Emiya gets serious upon hearing innocent people are being put in harm's way. "Right. So we find the Master doing this, and force him to give up his command seals."

"That or destroy their Servant. If the Master is having a rough time coughing up the magic cash, they should be a relative walk in the park. If anything this could be a proper warm up. Your first Servant encounter was… a bit one sided." facing Berserker and Illya was a clusterfuck if ever there was one. "Starting tonight, we'll patrol around the general area of the school. That Master will still be trying to prepare the field, so we'll ambush him while he's still weak."

"Okay, that sounds good. We both take care of whatever we need to do ahead of time, and meet back up here around… seven? Sound goo-... oh… crap." his eyes grow wide when he looks at the clock in the room.

"What's wrong Master?" Saber grows concerned.

"How could I forget!?" he berates himself.

"Emiya? Chill out. What's wrong?"

"Okay, I forgot that there's supposed to be-"

**Creeeeee**

The Servants all tense to be ready for battle the second we heard the door open.

"Hey Shiroooouuuu! What's for dinner-!... eh?." a loud woman bursts through the door with an excited expression on her face, but pauses when she notices the extra occupants.

There's someone standing behind her, a girl with purple hair that tilts her head to get a good look at what's going on.

"... friends of yours?" I ask the Master.

"**HEY**! That's **MY **line!" the older woman declares.

* * *

_Hour and a Half later..._

"So you guys all knew Kiritsugu huh?" the older woman, Taiga Fujimura recounts our cover story.

I nod in between bites before swallowing, and answering.

"Yeah. We met a while ago in Atlantic City while he was on the job. When we stopped hearing from him we assumed he was busy **with **said job. Shame to hear about what happened…" sit the **fuck **down Leo, that Oscar's **mine**.

"Hmm… well, these things **do **happen." Fujimura accepted my explanation. "Well, friends of Kerry are friends of mine! Since that hotel you were supposed to be staying at had one of those totally not suspicious at all gas leaks going on lately you're more than free to stay!" she nods confidently.

"(because apparently, I have no say in the matter...)" Emiya mumbles as he rolls his eyes at his Guardian.

"(join the club buddy, we're thinking about making T-shirts…) the purple haired girl, Sakura, added.

Yeah… it **totally **didn't add to the overall awkwardness when we simultaneously recognized each other from the other day. Not in the least bit...

It also didn't make me feel like an idiot for forgetting she was a thing. Or, to be more accurate, the lead romance of one of the routes. Shame I didn't see it. Apparently that route hasn't been adapted into an anime yet? Or they're supposed to be making a movie on it?

"Yeah, sorry to intrude. This whole trip to Japan has been one big mess so far." not **exactly **a lie…

"((Done't wurry bout it!))" the English teacher put on a fake New Yorker accent while **trying **to speak english… but it was really **weird **because it still had elements of Engrish intertwined with it. "((Ma boy Shirou's gotcha covered, ya dig fam?))"

"... sure." not even touching that...

Emiya's face was tinted a little red in embarrassment. "S-So Taiga… what's going on with the school? We changing classrooms, or are we gonna have something like that "Bad Egg" incident?"

"Meh, most of the damage was superficial. A couple chairs broke, so we can just borrow some spares from the drama room… if we're careful." she almost seems to shudder at something.

"... I volunteer Shinji for this suicide mission." apparently, even Emiya ain't having that shit.

"Noted." Taiga nods.

"What's wrong with the drama room?" I ask curiously.

"It's… not so much the room as it is the teacher. Mr. Kazuki is probably the most intense person I've ever met. He's scared so many students away from drama he's not allowed to teach it anymore. Thing is… he was **only **the drama teacher. So he **technically **doesn't have a class. But no one wants to fire him..." Ominus- wait. Drama teacher? I thought he was history?

"Hmph, (like to see **you **stand up to Shakespeare's superbuff evil grandkid…)" Taiga mutters while picking at her rice.

Yeah, just about any human with general awareness could sense the aura of danger coming off that guy.

In fact, just so much as mentioning his name seems to have added an oppressive weight to the room.

"''nom!' more please!" Okita requests after finishing her third bowl.

Is it just me, or do Saber and Assassin seem to be in some sort of competition right now?

I don't think Saber has so much as **breathed** since the food was put in front of her. She's not a Servant, that girl's a food vacuum!

I mean, Emiya and the good Matou's cooking is good, really good, but this is a bit… excessive.

… can Servants choke on their food? Should I be worried for her?

"Hey! Leave some for me!" Taiga roared at seeing how quickly the meal was being wiped out. "S-Shirou! Tell them to stop!"

"There's more than enough to go around Taiga." Emiya responds with a shrug.

"Yeah that's why the food budget was tight with just her…" Sakura remarks.

The teacher grew a bit red at this.

"H-Hey! Can I really be held responsible when the two of you cook like iron chefs!?" She pleads.

"Yes."

"Yes."

They respond in unison.

Taiga collapses like her head's weight quadrupled. "so cruel…"

But then a triumphant glint appears in her eyes as she turns to me.

"Orso! You know what I'm talking about right!? Having to fight for every scrap!?" is she trying to get me on her side? "Traveling with those two, every meal's gotta be a battle!"

"Eh?"

"Join me Yank! Join the "fair share" coalition! And together we'll secure an equal share of dinner for all!" she offers while doing a Darth Vader impression.

"Er… well I'm actually trying to cut back on food right now so I don't really-"

"-DIBS!" She wastes no time to claim my leftovers, making everyone sweatdrop. Huh, so that's actually a thing?

"(...such a greedy tiger…)" I mutter.

"(you get used to it…)" Emiya adds.

* * *

_One Hour Later…_

"Okay, I'm off to get some of my stuff." I announce as we're ready to leave.

"Okay, see you in a bit," Emiya nods as he readies to head off to do whatever task it is he's planning to do.

At least he's taking his Servant with him this time. Granted, Saber could probably use a few more hours to be truly ready, but "the sooner the better" apparently.

Sakura and Taiga left about ten minutes ago. Although Sakura seemed… hesitant. For someone who's kinda quiet, and passive aggressive she really wears her emotions on her sleeve. That or I'm just getting better at reading such things. I probably wouldn't have noticed things like that before all this, so I'm guessing minor telepathic empathy is something that comes with basic magecraft?

Weird. Why do I feel like Sakura's more important than she seems? It's like… like some kind of sixth sense that I'm unaware of is feeling some **major **red flags. It's a **really **specific hunch but…

Whatever. She's gone, so there's not much I can do about it now. But if she pops up again...

Anyway, the sun'll be down in about an hour or two, so we better get moving.

"Alright Assassin let's go." I start walking in the general direction of the HQ.

"Hai Master." she nods, then apparates into her spirit form.

* * *

_Twelve minutes later…_

_6:37 pm..._

Okay… couple gems, some rune grenades, spare clothes, the book… eh? "...when did we get packaged dango-?** Assassin**."

.

I turn to see my Servant blushing just a bit.

"... they were on sale?" she offers meekly.

I raise an eyebrow, and roll my eyes.

"I don't actually mind, it's **technically **not my money after all." I figure I might as well let my Servant indulge herself. "Just make sure they don't go to waste."

"Now **that's **an order I can get behind." she smiles as she secrets her snacks away.

I get back to sorting what we'll need for a while before she speaks up again.

"...master?" she says quietly.

"Something wrong?"

"could… could you be a bit more careful next time?" she says almost weakly.

"... gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"l-look... it's supposed to be the **Servants **job to get hurt right?" she asks rhetorically.

"Well… **technically **yes, but the Grail Wars aren't exactly famous for adhering to the rules. Why?"

"..." she hesitates for a moment, "...'sigh', **look**, after we got you back to Emiya's place you were convulsing pretty bad. You were delirious... I got worried. It reminded me of… it reminded me of when I died."

...oh.

"I **know **that asking you to **not **get hurt is impossible in this war. I know that you **thought **you were making a calculated risk. Just… just try not to die. Okay? Especially not like **that**." she looks away.

"I… sure." not… too sure what I'm supposed to add to that.

I continue packing in silence. I want to say something reassuring but… everything else I could say would be a lie.

After about a minute, I'm ready to head back, and am about to call it when something pops into my head.

"Hey… Okita? If you don't mind me asking… why are you still fighting with me?" I guess this was spurred on by wanting to change the atmosphere. That and genuine curiosity.

"Huh? What do you mean? The worlds in danger right? What kind of "police girl" would I be if I just let that slide?" she states bashfully.

"Well I mean… I guess what I'm trying to ask is… what exactly **did **you want to use the Grail for? I-If that's not a troublesome thing to ask that is…"

"... Let me ask you a question. Are we friends Master?"

Are we..? I mean… I **think** so?

_Congratulations, you made a friend!_

_Collect three and you get a free sundae._

"Er… sure?"

"Then promise me something. No matter how bad it gets, you let me fight until the bitter end." to the bitter end?

"If this is about the order to fall back the other day-"

"Not what I meant." she tries to clarify. "Promise me that you won't stop me from fighting. If we retreat, and it's to come back and fight another day, it's fine but... promise me that we **never **surrender, and if we have to, we **die **before giving up. Promise me **that**, and I'll consider my wish for the Grail fulfilled."

I… **think **I get what she's asking?

I guess all she wants is to fight, and die as a warrior. In a way, I think I get it.

Besides, for this war? **Surrender**? **Giving up**? There's **no **room for such concepts.

I think I'd **rather **die than survive a world where someone like Kotomine, or Gilgamesh wins.

And if they do, I'll have at least some degree of peace in knowing I at least **tried **to stop it.

If I give this everything I got, give this 110%? I can die with an acceptable level of regrets.

"I promise." two words. Two words that carried so much weight…

"Then my wish is granted." she nods solemnly.

For the first time today, the silence seems almost comfortable.

…

…

"Well, come on, let's not keep our ally waiting." I move to leave.

"I'm sure if anything he's gonna be the late one." Assassin seems rather sure about that…

"Really? How do ya figure?"

"Well, he **is **going to go talk with Kirei after all." she answers.

…

…

…

"... he's what?"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Outside of Kotomine Church…_

"Y'know, when I said I didn't like talking about the 4th War I **meant **it... but if it means we don't have to talk with him…" Saber was **immediately **regretting not being forthright with what she knew.

"Well, we're already here. And besides, this guy might know some things you don't." Shirou knew that it **might **not be important at all but… he **had **to know. He **needed **to.

"..." okay, **bad** choice of words…

"... by which I mean **he **was there as well, so it might be good to have more than one perspective?"

"That's better." Saber let up the glare, "But if you must do this Master, I'll caution you. Kotomine is a dangerous, devious man, and may try to deceive you."

Emiya nodded. The priest had an aura about him that set him on edge. He'll take what Kirei has to say about it with a grain of salt.

Saber stayed outside the main Gates once more. Respecting the neutral grounds of the church.

Emiya felt something as he got close to the main doors. Something suddenly felt… off about the place he hadn't noticed last night.

Shaking the feeling off he opened the doors to the church, but did not see anyone immediately.

Shirou walked in cautiously, looking for the priest when he felt the doors close behind him.

He was about to call out for Kotomine when he noticed someone else.

For some reason he couldn't help but feel their presence was… it wasn't **normal**. People don't give off feelings like this.

The man noticed Shirou, his red eyes taking his form in for the briefest moments before his expression turned to one of disdain.

"Well? Speak up mongrel. Or are you only here to gawk at your betters?" the blonde man demanded of him.

"I… I'm here to see Father Kotomine." Emiya answered after regaining his composure. The sooner he was out of this person's sight the better.

The well dressed man took but one more second of his time to grace the Master with his presence before getting up and moving to another room.

"**Kirei**! There's another lost **mutt **here for you!" he dismissively announces before disappearing around a corner.

Shirou stood by the entrance, unsure of whether he was supposed to follow him, or stay where he was.

He had a strange feeling his life banked on not being **near **that guy, so he went with the latter.

After about a minute of waiting the priest appeared from behind that very corner.

"Well, this is just disappointing…" he sighs, assuming the reasons the Master was here.

.

"I'm **not **giving up. I'm here because there's some things I need to ask you." Shirou declares.

"Oh? And what is it you're looking for Shirou… **Emiya**…?" the priest tasted the name on his tongue like it was the finest of dishes.

"Tell me… about my father."

* * *

_End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA)_

* * *

**Aaaand that's a wrap. Hope you all liked it, so stay safe, and I'll see you all next time.**


	12. Beautiful Snake, Rotten Worm

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Blaze2121- to understand a lot of what happened, and what's ****about ****to happen, I'd recommend replaying…. rereading…? rewatching..? (Do you ****play****, ****read****, or ****watch ****a Visual Novel?) Heaven's Feel. And as for another reminder, Orso's only watched the UBW anime, so no Heaven's Feel, no Fate, no Ataraxia. He's fairly new to Nasuverse lore so he's trying to make sense of a lot of complicated stuff in a relatively short amount of time. Also, there are a lot of things that are ****not ****meant to be understood right away with the information I've revealed so far. The last half of your review wasn't exactly easy to understand so I'm sorry if this doesn't answer a lot of your questions. **

* * *

_Chapter XII- Beautiful Snake, Rotten Worm_

_Date: 02/03/2004_

_Time: 6:30 pm_

_Location: Outside Emiya Household_

* * *

_Flashback…_

_POV Shirou Emiya..._

_Kotomine grew what was almost a smile, and walked closer, his footsteps enunciated by the empty church._

"_Very well. Tell me what you want to know." the priest seemed pleased by the conversation topic._

"_First, I want to know if I'm a Master __**because **__of my Dad." Did his father bequif this role to him? Perhaps as some sort of unknown inheritance? After all, not only was his father a Master, but he was contracted to the __**same **__Heroic Spirit. _

"_I'd doubt as much. The role of Master is not a hereditary one. Only the Masters of the three founding families are guaranteed spots in the roster, and even then they have to __**choose **__to do so. Besides, even if it was, you have neither his magic crest, nor his blood in your veins." the priest surmised. "Rejoice young Emiya, for such a coincidence is so rare in the Holy Grail War it can only be fate you have become a Master."_

"_So then, my dad didn't choose to save me because of the Grail…" it was a relief to know that Kiritsugu was the hero he thought he was. Saving some kid out of that fire out of good will._

"_Perhaps. I do not pretend to understand the thought processes of the Holy Grail. But there could still be more to it than mere chance." Kirei continued, "It would only be natural, I suppose, for the Grail to choose the progeny of Kiritsugu Emiya to rectify his grave sin against it."_

"_Grave sin..?" what could he mean? _

_Wait… he couldn't mean-_

"_**No-**__ no there's __**no **__way my Dad would-!"_

"_At the end of the war, your father was the one the Grail chose. Of that, I'm certain." the priest recited this fact clearly, but for the first time, his expression turned to one resembling anger "However, at the last moment, he chose to betray the Grail. He destroyed it, and forsook his long desired wish. I believe you're familiar with the result?"_

…

…

* * *

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

m-mom?

get up

please

**it's hot**

withstood pain...

**it's hot**

p-please stop!

w-was I bad?

**it's hot**

**it's hot**

**It's Hot**

never hold...

**It's Hot**

**IT'S HOT**

* * *

…

_No_

_No-no-no-no-no-__**NO!**_

_H-His dad- he __**wouldn't-**_

_He was a __**Hero DAMNIT**__!_

_Wait- this war, these battles, all this pain, his Dad must have been trying to stop it!_

_Yeah! He __**chose **__to destroy the Grail but… just must not have known about what would happen!?_

_Dad was a Hero_

_He __**Was**_

* * *

"_To gain some marbles you have to trade some others."_

* * *

…

…

_Shirou noticed he was shaking._

_His father tried to be a hero, but it didn't work out. _

_**End of story**__._

"_My Dad chose to destroy the Grail because he was a __**Hero**__! He tried to end the fighting in his own way but just… he made a mistake! He didn't "__**betray**__" __anyone!" he retorted._

_The priest seemed briefly surprised at the outburst. Then after reaching a conclusion smiled once more._

"_Oh? I think the Einzberns would beg to differ." Kotomine nearly laughed at the thought. "Regardless, I think it's time someone told you the truth about Kiritsugu Emiya."_

_That's… that's why he came. _

"_Emiya Kiritsugu was not a traditional mage. Indeed, his profession is what one would call a freelancer. A mercenary. And one of- if not __**the**__\- most skilled in the business. He was infamous for using the tactics, and defenses of traditional mage's against them through the use of modern techniques, and weapons. Earning himself the title… "Mage Killer.""_

_Even though he was long dead, the alias's very mention seemed to still carry its own weight _

"_For many years he moved from battlefield to battlefield. From war, to war. His reasons for fighting, his ideals? Known to him and him alone. He would fight, and kill with the greatest efficacy, and ruthlessness. Indeed, Kiritsugu Emiya was __**no **__hero. At __**best **__he was an __**Anti**__-Hero."_

_Shirou wanted to deny this. To exclaim to the world that this was nothing but __**lies**__, and __**slander**__. _

_But… he listened. Because for some reason… he knew the priest wasn't lying._

"_Eventually, he came into contact with the Einzberns. An ancient, and powerful family of Homunculi from Germany. And one of the three Mage families that started the Holy Grail War. For nearly a thousand years the Einzberns had searched for a means to reach the Swirl of the Root. Only ever coming __**close **__when they helped create the Grail two hundred years ago." Kotomine began to describe the family of that little girl from last night._

"_However, for all their effort, for all their __**persistent **__struggle, they could __**not **__reach the fruit of their labors. For __**all **__their power as Magi, __**none **__of their manufactured Masters could defeat even lowly __**second rate**__ mages in combat. Denied the __**sole reason **__for their __**very **__existence for over a thousand years, they grew frustrated. After their __**complete**__, and __**utter **__failure in the third war, they began exploring… __**other **__solutions." he began to predate as he started to explain the events __**pre-**__dating __the fourth __war._

"_Several years before the fourth war, the Einzberns began probing the mage world for the perfect proxy for their plans. They searched through the scum of the underworld. Through what families like them would consider slums. The rumors of the reach of this search are numerous, and occasionally ridiculous, however they all accumulated in their choice of one man. Your father, Kiritsugu Emiya. His record speaking for itself, they offered him the resources of the Einzberns, their connections, a wife, a daughter, and use of the very Grail itself so long as he claimed the Grail for them." he came to a stop closer to Emiya than before._

"Uh… personal space much?_" Emiya thought as the priest continued on to the conclusion of the fourth war._

"_However, even this was to be for naught. At the end of the Grail War, your Father chose to deny the Grail. Destroying it, betraying the Einzberns, betraying his family, killing __**hundreds**__, all for __**nothing**__. Kiritsugu Emiya was __**not **__a hero." the priest finished his monologue. _

* * *

_Present…_

_POV Orso..._

… you know, I wonder if this is what parents feel like when their kids are extremely late from school?

Like… a **little **angry that the kids in question might have done something reckless, but **mostly **scared they might be in danger?

Considering some of the dumb shit he can get up to… maybe I should consider a leash?

… okay, that's a dumb thought. I'm sure he can take care of himself. And even if he can't, he's got **Saber **with him! That, and he's just going for a talk about his dad..! with the priest... the Master of Gilgamesh… who could be at the church right now… while Saber's with him…

… this war is reeeeeaaaally trying to give me a mental breakdown isn't it?

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Five minutes later…_

"_Well, it was kinda obvious when you think about it. You didn't know much, Saber wasn't gonna talk. Kirei was the only guy with the answers."_ Assassin shrugged. … How do I know that? She's in **spirit **form- oh forget it.

I sighed. She had a point.

"Kinda wish you'd mentioned it earlier… like… when I could have **said **something to deter him..."

"_Well, there's no reason to worry anymore. He's here."_ she pointed out as I looked to see the redhead coming out from a corner.

"Emiya? Can we talk for a… you doing okay buddy?" I was about to ask him what his thought process was when I noticed he seemed rather miffed himself.

"Yeah I just… learned some things that were hard to hear." he says, seeming to accept what he had learned.

"Oh. ...wanna... talk... about it..?(?)" again, question of a question.

As much as I **want **him to be mentally okay, **neither **of us want **me **to be his shrink.

"Okay... that was phrased really awkwardly, and **no**, I'm good." he seemed to bounce back.

Oh thank god.

"Oh good, then we can move on to the next point which is- next time you do anything Grail War related? It's **probably **wise to let your allies know." I say this with as much diplomacy as I can muster. "While it **should **be safe to move about during the daytime, there are no guarantees in war."

Shirou can be accommodating… but still, it's probably best not to antagonize the help with crazy sounding ramblings about the priest being dangerous while I have **no **evidence to back it up.

"Er… well I figured I had Saber with me, so I was **probably **fine?" Emiya shrugged at the thought of danger.

"... (((I'm guessing I should be happy we get that much from you?)))" I ask myself more than him in whispered English.

Considering his track record of charging headfirst into danger without help… this is a fairly big step for him. And so early on too!

Just watch! Before this is over, he'll be hanging back, letting his Servant handle the people he can't, while he does his **actual **job as a Master and supports her!

Y'know? The **smart **thing to do?

"Huh?" Emiya was tripped up by the language switch.

"Look just… remember that there are people out there, that are **much **stronger than you, that are looking to kill you, and that you **have **backup." I reminded him.

He considered this for a moment.

"Right… like that girl… Illya…" he thinks aloud.

"Yeah, her. And about four others, not including the Servants themselves."

"No I mean… she's out for **me **specifically." he begins to explain.

… wait. Does he **already **know?

Thinking about it… it probably came up with Kirei.

"Well, aren't you popular." I remark sarcastically.

"It's a long story but, you were right. I was a **lot **more involved with the Grail War than I thought." Shirou moved his hand behind his head regarding the large info dump for him, "Apparently she's my sister?"

"Oh. Perfect. Family drama. Just what this powwow needed..." I try my best to act surprised. "What're ya gonna do with that knowledge?"

"I… don't know?" he seemed at a loss. "My normal approach would be talking with them directly but…"

"Odds are you won't find her in a talking mood?"

He nods.

"Well, I wish I had some advice in this regard. My brother and I haven't **always **gotten along in the past but... he's never sicked a giant hulking rage monster at me… unless you'd count our dad… but... that's like comparing accidentally touching a hot stove, to getting Hiroshima'd… that isn't **offensive**...is it?"

"Not in this context. Besides, I see what you mean." oh good.

"(What's Hiroshima'd?)" Saber whispered to where Assassin should be.

"(I'm… not too sure actually? But I got a weird feeling that I don't like it.)" she answered back.

"Well, it'll have to wait. There are a few more pressing concerns at the moment." I allude to the Shinji situation.

"Right. So, how are we doing this?" Emiya turns his focus to the here and now.

"Given that they need Mana for their Servant, the Master we're looking for will be at one of two places. Either at the school setting up more sigils for his bounded field, or out on the nearby streets with their Servant looking for people to eat." I ready our gameplan, "We can either split up and cover more ground, or cover one area together. If he's out tonight, **one **of us will **definitely **find him if we go with option one, but with Saber still recovering, if it's **you **that runs into them, your advantage won't be as good as it could be. If we go with option two, if we run into them, they won't stand a chance. However, if we don't find them, depending on which we decide to cover, they'll either hurt more people, or have more time to set up their field. Essentially, we got three options here. Together at the school, together on the streets, or we split up. Got any preference?"

Emiya mulled it over. The various scenarios playing out in his head.

"Let's check out the streets by the school. If people are in danger we have to do something about it." he says, determined.

So, the immediate issue then?

"Right then. Let's go." I declare as I'm ready to head out.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Emiya rushes inside his house for a minute.

I blink, wondering what he could possibly-

"Aaaaand I'm back." he comes back holding a… a pipe?

"You're taking… a pipe?" I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore but…

"Yeah? I mean… it helps me with my magic? Besides. You **never know **when you might need one." he says like it's the most obvious fact in the world.

"... what kind of magic do you have where an ordinary pipe could possibly be of any use against a mage, or a Servant?" while I **do **know about his magic, it… still seems a bit odd for him to take a **pipe **of all things. This is like taking butter to a knife fight.

On second thought, never mind. I suppose it's better than nothing.

"Er… I mean… I'm not too sure about a Servant, but… if the Master's evil, I could hit 'em pretty hard with it? My reinforcement magic is pretty good." he shrugs.

"If it helps Master, I **totally **approve of this magic. This is **way **cooler than what I thought you did." Saber supports him.

"See? **Saber **likes my pipe." Shirou thanks his Servant.

"..." I resist the urge to verbally point out how that can be misconstrued. Instead, my raised eyebrow made him realize it himself, to which he started sputtering.

"M-Master!? Choose your words more carefully please!" the blonde Servant protests. Blushing.

"N-No! I didn't mean- Wh-Wha-What I meant to say was-!"

I roll my eyes. With Okita's laughing at their antics in spirit form spilling into my head through our connection I nearly start laughing myself.

Well, at least we're starting tonight off on a high note.

* * *

_Three hours later…_

It was getting very cold. And **very **quiet.

Only the sounds of Shinto in the far distance were of any indication we were anywhere close to another human being. Hell, even the cicadas, quite common in the city parks (like the one we're close to), were dead silent. This had me thinking for a while that there **had **to be a Master nearby. This was the perfect place to catch an unwary victim alone. But… nobody.

I'm probably just being impatient. If not a little jittery. I'm still new to the whole battle scene.

I remember hearing somewhere that the waiting is the worst part. And frankly, whoever said that might have a point. **Something **tonight has me on edge...

"Anyone else get the feeling we're being watched?" I ask the rest of our little group.

"I'm not detecting any Servants. And you're the Master of Assassin, so I'm unconcerned." Artoria answered.

I frowned. Something was off.

"_Assassin. For the sake of my peace of mind, watch from the rooftops. I think we got company."_ I can't prove it… but I **know **someone is there.

"_Right."_ she enters presence concealment, and fades into the night.

We kept walking for a while longer. Nearly another twenty minutes before Emiya spoke up.

"Starting to think I made the wrong call…" he doubts.

"Giving up already?" I tease.

"No but… I just feel like we should have seen **something **by now." he sounds more concerned than whinny.

"Well, this is a Master with a weakened Servant we're talking about. Being conspicuous wouldn't get them very far." even Matou has to understand that.

Still, he's not wrong. I reckon we covered about 70% of Miyama. I'm kinda surprised we haven't even run into Rin at this point. Considering she's back in action faster than expected.

Note to self- Just because she's crazy doesn't mean she ain't smart. She's probably got some pretty powerful healing magic if UBW Shirou's still functioning heart is of any indication.

I figured a concussion wasn't gonna stop her for very long. It just turned out it wouldn't stop her **period**.

But enough about crazy axe murderers, let's talk about Shinji.

"You got a point though... How about we keep going for another hour or two? It's a bit further from the target area, but maybe we should try the doc-"

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!"**

We all turned to the sound of the scream.

"Aaaaaand- That's our cue." I note as Emiya runs in that direction.

"~HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!~" he announces… like an idiot.

"... why?" I ask the moon.

"Master! Slow down!" Saber goes after him. Catching up quickly as he rounds a corner.

Coming back to the situation at hand, I start thinking of a plan. With Emiya charging straight in, I decide to take an alternative approach.

"_Assassin. Find a way to flank our foe."_ I order. Since he's got them distracted, let's handle this with a bit more strategy.

"_Roger Master, I can see what's going on from here. They're in a dead end alley. I can still hit them from above. Just say the word."_ She responds.

"Be ready." I move to follow Shirou.

"_Watch yourself Master. A cornered animal can be a dangerous one."_ She warns. The sadistic tone slipping into her voice.

Oh yeah… we should probably talk about that.

"**Ayako**!?" I hear Emiya shout as I turn a corner.

I then see his shocked face contort into a horrified one as I catch up to him.

"Okay Shirou? We're gonna have to have a talk about this whole "Teamwork" thing- oh god." turning to look at what has his attention reveals something a bit… disturbing.

A girl, about our age, starts floating in the air. Almost like she's being pulled up by strings. Like a puppet.

But when she turns, she has a half-lidded stare. Looking off into the distance. Clearly not home right now.

Then, the air behind her shifts as a Servant appears.

Rider. AKA Medusa.

I don't remember it was **explicitly **stated in UBW… but it was kinda **heavily **applied.

Still, beyond that, I learned it when I was learning what to watch next.

Also, sidenote? She's hot.

Like, way, waaay hot-

Focus. Focus, focus, focus, focus, **FOCUS **Rob!

Licking her lips of blood, she gently puts the girl down. Almost caring for her victim, whom we now see has two puncture wounds on her neck. The slow rising, and lowering of her chest telling she still held on to life.

The Servant tilts her head in curiosity at the Masters before her, and grows a smug face.

"**You-**! Stay away from-!" Emiya almost rushed in when Saber blocks him.

**Step-step-step-step-step-step-**

"Oh? To think it would be you Shirou?"

Aaaand I hate him already.

"**S-Shinji**!?" Sabers Master is tripped up by the oh so shocking plot twist.

As the crown prince of shitland descends from a catwalk, I ready my circuits for a fight.

"_Define real."_

**pain-pain-pain…**

Damn. My circuits weren't as recovered as I thought.

We're gonna have to make this short.

"I **hoped **that I wouldn't have to kill my **best **friend, but what can be done? Oh, if you had only come to me sooner, we wouldn't **have **to fight." he adds an… oddly condescending tone to his voice.

"I-I'm sorry? Are you talking like that for **his **benefit? Or for your Servant?" I ask, genuinely confused. "Or do you **normally **talk like an insufferable jackass?"

"Wha- How **DARE **you speak to me in that manner!" he whines.

"Oh- uh, pardon me, where **are **my manners? Hello garbage Master. How's that Mana supply for your Servant coming along?"

"You…. You mock me!? I'm the **heir **to the **Matou **bloodline!" he boasts.

"(Could've fooled me…)" I shrug.

It's at this point that his eyebrows twitch.

"Rider. Kill him first." he orders.

"Are you absolutely sure? This seems to be going swimmingly for you so far." I **swear**, I just saw her smirk. I guess there isn't really much of a bond there.

"Shinji!" Emiya interrupts, "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Oh, Shirou… are you referring to poor Ayako here, or me ordering your new friend to be skinned alive?" he asks with pride.

"...yes."

"Well, in case it wasn't clear, I, Shinji Matou, am the Master of the Rider Servant-"

"Yes… believe whateeeever you want…" Rider… I can tell she's rolling her eyes through her blindfold.

… I'm sorry? I-Is he not?

"**YES**. I. **AM **RIDER!"

… I'm confused. Is he not **actually **her Master? Or is she being smart with him?

Cause, I know **I **would never acknowledge him as a Master...

"suuuuuure…." she 'assures' him, almost innocently.

Well, isn't she just a treat?

"**Shinji!** Why would you do this to Ayako!?" Emiya demands to know.

"Emiya!? How **could **you accuse me of such a thing? I **never **hurt Ayako." he puts on an incredibly fake hurt tone.

"Er… I'm pretty sure she'd disagree if **your **Servant hadn't pulled a Nosferatu on her?" Emiya objects.

"Exactly! I **didn't **hurt Ayako. I simply ordered Rider to do it." he shrugged.

"...what the **hell **kind of **distinction did you just make!?**" a fair question.

"Like a lot of things he makes, a poor one. A poor distinction, a poor human being, and a poor Master." I add.

"...'grrrr' **you…**.." the sister abuser grit his teeth.

"Of course, 'hehe', you're free to prove me wrong about **any **of the three, at **any **time. Unless you prefer to stand there and bluster at us all night?" I goaded him.

That girl is alive right now, but I don't know how bad her blood loss is. The sooner we deal with this the better.

It's then he seems to remember something about that book in his hands, and smirks.

"**Very well**! Summon your Servant clown! I'll show you what a **real **Master can do!" he continued to bluster.

"See… I **would **do that… but the thing is, I don't think you're even **worth **bringing em' out for. Which is why **I'm **just gonna **stand aside**, and let Emiya's Servant here take care of business. Ya dig Saber?" I get out of the Servants way.

"Ain't no thang." she steps up.

If I pissed off Shinji before, he was **mutinous **now.

Then, he takes a deep breath.

Lets it out.

Raises the book in front of him.

And orders-

"Rider. **Kill them all**."

"If I must…" she sounds disappointed. Having wanted the roast to continue. And readies for battle.

Then is gone in the blink of an eye.

Even though this is still according to plan, I still flinch when my brain catches up and sees her right in front of my face before-

**CLANG!**

Saber strikes with Invisible Air.

The Rider had blocked with her chain Daggers, and thus suffered no injuries. Merely being knocked back towards her Master, who had only barely sidestepped in time to avoid the Servant/Projectile. Then, she used her acrobatic skills, and momentum to come at us once again from above.

With her chains appearing, and covering the entire alley, I couldn't help but feel she had planned to be attacked here. Shinji might be fighting blindly, but I doubt **she **is, even with that blindfold.

Thing is, she doesn't know what Servant to expect from me. Likely aiming for a straight fight.

Little does she know, Assassin is currently awaiting the opportune moment to take Matou hostage. And force him to burn through his command seals. Hopefully ending this peaceful-

**CRASH**

**BAM!**

-aaaaand she's down.

…

...

… wut?

Strangely enough, I think Shinji and I had a similar expression for a moment. Only, his is out of confused **horror**, and mine's out of expecting more.

Rider was sitting a corner on the other end of the alley in a crater of her own making. Looking worse than the girl she Nosferatud.

Emiya only just now seemed to catch up with what happened, and blinked.

Saber took one look at the scene, and grew a smug smile at the Matou Master.

"_Aw… maaan…"_ Assassin doesn't hide her own disappointment.

"Fascinating…" I muttered, breaking the sudden silence, "I wasn't expecting much of anything, and he **still **found a way to disappoint."

"I- …. Wha-did…?" Riders Master tried to process what just happened. Turning back, and forth between us, and his Servant.

I knew she was weakened but… I **blinked **and she was defeated!

Now that I notice it, I can see Saber dropping a part of Rider's chain. Likely having used Riders rather impractical weapon against her.

"Di- Did we... win?" Emiya asked, pretty much at as much of a loss as the rest of us.

"Ordinarily I'd tell you to pipe down before you jynx us… but I almost **want **her to get back up again." make this **two **Grail Wars she's accomplished **nothing **in…

Shinji began to slowly move towards his Servant, almost looking shell shocked, then turned his back to us to stand in front of her.

"hey… did I say you can lose?" he mutters with a dangerous tone before raising his book- "**GET UP!**"

**BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT**

"**GYAAAAAAAA!**" Rider convulsed as Magical Energy shocked her. The book in her Master's hand glowing.

I flinched. This **wasn't **a command seal. It almost looked like he was **torturing **her into complying.

"I… I am Shinji **Matou**! I will** NOT BE HUMILIATED LIKE THIS! GET UP YOU USELESS SERVANT! GET UP AND KILL THEM!**" he ordered, and the electrocution seemed to turn up to eleven.

"This is… hard to watch…" whether she would have killed me, or not, seeing **anyone **tortured is just… it's **horrible**.

"Shinji. Stop. It's **over**. Give up your command seals, and we can pretend this never happened." Emiya tried talking him down.

"no no no no No NO NO **NOO**! I- I'm a **Master**! You- You're **nothing**! **I AM THE HEIR TO THE MATOU BLOODLINE-**"

"**No** Y**o**u'r**e** o**n**l**y** a d**i**sg**r**ac**e**."

Huh?

We all look around for the source of the voice that seems to be emanating from all around us.

Whoever this was… they didn't sound quite human.

"Wh-Wha- 'GAH'!" Shinji looked… terrified for a moment before-

**FWOOOOOOOOSH!**

The Tome in his hand burst into flames.

"NO! nononononononononNoNONO nohohoo..!" the Master of Rider seemed to **beg **his book not to leave him as he tried to put the flames out. But there was nothing he could do.

In seconds, it was nothing but ash.

And Rider was gone in a cloud of blue particles.

"(the hell…?)" was… was the book his command seals?

"P**e**rha**p**s I e**x**p**e**ct**e**d t**o**o m**uc**h fr**om y**ou, Shinji."

And from panic, the now former Masters eyes turn to fear. And he scrambles to get away from something in the darkness.

Whoever this voice belongs to…

"_Assassin? You got eyes on..? …. Assassin..? Okita, __**respond**__!"_

"_Y-Yeah, I see em..."_ she sounds almost… not scared… somewhere between shock, and horror.

"G-Grandpa!" Shinji manages to call out as he backs himself into a corner.

Grandfather?! What's this now?

What we see next is… hard to describe. The best way I can put it… it's like watching a corpse pretending to be a person walking out of those shadows. While the scent of rot engulfs the air.

… Netflix adaptation Sans?

Are we sure this aint his Great-Great-Great-**Great**-**Great-GREAT**-Grandfather?

"Oh… it's you…" Emiya recalls his last meeting with the… man..? zombie…? thing…? It. Let's call em' an **it**.

This **it **steps out of the shadows using a walking cane. But… there were no footsteps.

"I'd see you punished, but that would imply I expected something accomplished." it says sardonically.

The Matou with still living flesh moved passed his fear to try begging his 'Grandfather'.

"**Grandpa**! I- I can still beat these nobodies! I-I'll prove to you **I'm **the rightful heir to the-"

"All you've **proven **is that you're incapable of meeting even my **lowest **expectations. Like father, like son. I knew the Makiri bloodline would end with you. My only hope was that it would be with dignity. You've denied us even **this**." ...geeze, with love like this, who needs hatred?

For the briefest moment, I wonder if **this **is why Shinji is the way he is, and I **actually **kinda feel bad for picking on him.

Then I remember he beats his own sister, and I care significantly less than before.

Also, another sidenote? The way that **it **is twisting its own neck to look at his 'grandson'? Kill it. Kill it with **all **the fire. And the-

Wait, Makiri?

The corpse turns away from his disgrace of a grandson, and towards us, then walks forward.

There's something… **wrong **about him. Saber senses it too, and steps back. Closer to her Master, ready to shield him while I ready myself to duck for cover at any time.

"I see… so Rider will shoulder even **less **of the blame. Having faced a spirit of such renown." he compliments Saber when he comes to a stop. "So be it then. Come, Servant of the blade. Strike this old man down. For I, Matou Zouken will be your opponent now."

... dafuq?

I-is he sacrificing himself for Shinji?

Noticing the copy-pasted expression on my, **and **Sabers face, he explains.

"Though he is utterly worthless as an heir, and it **pains **me to say it, he is **still **my grandson." ...so this thing understands the concept of 'you can choose your friends, but can't choose your family', but Shinji **can't**?

"I am ready to sacrifice this body if it shields him Master of, and Servant Saber." he says while looking at-

"Oh, er, **I'm **not her Master, **he** is." I explain the… strange assumption.

If he had eyebrows, he would have raised one before continuing.

"The point still stands." he says before turning to Shinji, "Run boy. Run and leach another day."

The significantly younger Matou almost glares at the bag of skin before scampering away.

"I-I WILL **HAVE** MY REVENGE!" he declares as he runs past us.

No one moves to stop him as he goes. We're all too focused on the new threat before us.

"(And option bluster it was, apparently…)" I break the silence, muttering.

This older Matou… if he's the **true **head of the family, even with two Servants, we ought to be on our guard. After all, Rin went toe to toe with Caster for a time, and she was still a teenager. This guy…

He looks like he could have been there for the **first **Grail War.

Just because his family had degraded… it doesn't mean **he **has.

"... I see. You're not sending the spare Servant after him. Not even worth killing is he?" he laments.

"My Servant is a **lot **of things old man. "spare" **isn't **one of them." I say with pride in her.

Okita's **more **than earned my respect. If I had **any **doubts before, they were **crushed **when she stood up to Cu Chulainn, and took one of Heracles's lives while she had a handicap.

He chuckles for a moment, before we start the standoff.

I slowly reach into my pocket for a very special rune I've been working on.

If I did it right, with the power source it's got (one of the gems)… it **should **give us a momentary edge if this gets rough.

… be a perfect moment for some tumbleweed to pass by…

…

…

"Wait! Hold on a second!" Emiya interrupts.

"Master stay back! This man is more dangerous than he seems-!" **more**!? He already looks like The Thing as it is!

"Nah~! Saber, it's fine! I know em'!" he… what's he doing?

_Either saving your life, or dooming us all._

"...how exactly?" I beg the question.

"I had like… **one **conversation with him the other day." he explains.

…

…

… why couldn't I have been paired with the older Emiya?

* * *

"_oNe HuNDrED pERCenT- MAXIMUM NO CHILL!"_

* * *

Oh yeah…

On second thought. One should always be thankful for the small blessings they have.

"Emiya. This guy looks like he just walked off the set of a horror film-"

"Well, that's rude..." the aforementioned movie monster speaks up.

"You **literally **smell like a dozen campers that have been **dead **for three weeks!" I point out.

"... not **un**true…" he seems to concede… or admit.

"-do ya really think this is a good idea?" I finish asking the redhead.

"Pfft, yeah, totally..! Besides… there's something I need to ask…" he gets serious.

"So… could you… please **explain **something for me?"

… dooming us all it is.

"... hmph. Looks like rudeness is an all too common trait of this generation…" the old man laments once more.

"Why is Shinji a Master? He obviously isn't a good Mage." a fair question, and one with two possible answers.

Either Shinji wanted a chance to show off, and prove himself as an heir, or this guy had no other option.

"Hm. Not that I have **any **reason to tell you **anything**, but if it makes you **happy **to know, I have been retired for some time. As such, it was only natural that my heir took my place. Evidently, however, there **is **no heir to the Makiri. This war is to be our last." so, more or less both?

Our… hold on.

"-wait, so, is it Matou, or Makiri?" I ask.

"Both. We came to this land as Makiri. But changed to Matou. It's… a play on words in Japanese." he explains.

Oh… okay? That doesn't needlessly complicate it at all!

Still, it makes sense. The Japanese were an isolationist society at best back in the time in the first Grail War. If you were gonna move here back then, it's **probably **best to try and fit in as much as possible.

"Two hundred years ago we came to this land. Working with the Einzbern, and Tohsaka, we sought to achieve the greatest ambition for any family of Magi. However, the land itself has not been kind to our blood. We have declined with each generation." he… exposates?

Is… is this becoming a thing right now?

_Shut up and listen. He might say something important._

Good point brain. Let the old man ramble.

"Tohsa-? so Rin is in on this too?" Shirou doesn't sound too surprised. Just disappointed that his concern had been realized.

Yeah, today's been one big shake up for his worldview. One of his friends turned out to be a sociopathic magi, turns out he has a sister, and now his crush is out to murder him.

Not a good day to be Emiya Shirou.

"If that is the name of the Tohsaka heir, yes. Outside of the Grail Wars, our families have been allied for generations. Unfortunately, it appears that that relationship will come to an end soon. With how we've fallen, I doubt the Tohsaka heir would give the Matou the time of day." he laughs grimly.

To be fair, **I'm **not the heir to an ancient Magi family, but even** I **don't want to be caught anywhere **remotely **near this walking morgue.

Have I mentioned the smell? **God**, it smells worse than rotten cheese wrapped in dirty socks dipped into toilet mountain dew that had someone light it all on fire.

**Don't do the dew**!

"Then Sakura… is she a Mage too?" he almost sounds betrayed.

Sakura… I don't think I've ever held an actual conversation with her. And yet… she just kept putting out red flags. I don't care what this guy says.

"**No**." the old mage states **very **firmly. And **very **quickly. "Sakura does not have the capacity to be a Master. We would have put her up for adoption long ago if she had enough Magic Circuits for anyone to be interested in taking her."

hm... methinks there be a lie here. Or at least a half truth.

"Adoption?" I raise an eyebrow.

Sure she's no mage… but she's **still **your kid!

Wasn't this guy about to **sacrifice **himself for someone he considered worthless?

"It is a common practice among mage families to only train, and raise one heir. Only **one **mage can take the magic crest. With few exceptions. Any spare children are either raised unaware of the moonlight world, or on rare occasions, adopted by families in need of an heir."

I knew that about crests… but to put your own child up for adoption because they can't have the crest? That seems… shortsighted, and wasteful. As well as callous.

I imagine for a moment the magical potential that has been likely lost over countless generations because of this. Potential researchers, and practitioners of magecraft that could have stood on their own without that inheritance. The branch families that could have been. All creating their own magics, and forging their own goals, and dreams.

It's like… pruning branches that **don't **need to be pruned. So many flowers that **could **have bloomed...

It just seems pointlessly wasteful.

"So… she's normal? Not a mage?" Shirou continues.

"**Yes**. She doesn't even know our family is one of magi." Strange… despite lamenting Shinji's poor quality. He doesn't seem too broken up about Sakura…

This leads me to believe that she is either **completely **beneath his notice, or…

Or there's more to her than he wants us to know.

Still… Sakura's a quiet girl. Not particularly confrontational, or outspoken. At the most she's passive-aggressive. There's still a chance of the situation being the former.

Normally, I'd doubt him about Sakura not noticing they were Magi. Particularly when you can **smell **that there's something wrong about this old man. Living with em'? The most unobservant potato in the world could tell he isn't human.

Then I remember hypnosis is a thing. From what I understand of it, it can give the Jedi mind trick a run for its money. I tried it once when I tried to get the lady running the hotel we used to be at to forget we were ever there. Hopefully making us hard to track for enemy Masters. It… **seemed **to work? I kinda still feel worried I might've gotten something wrong and given her some nasty side effects. It was from that point forward I decided to never use people as guinea pigs again.

Granted, I'll still use hypnosis if push comes to shove, and I need to go all MIB on some bystander that happens to see me doing magic. I won't kill witnesses.

Note to self though, just to be sure, when I get a moment, I'll check on her. Just for peace of mind.

"In hindsight, perhaps she could have proven more useful than Shinji… but what's done, is done. No point in using her now." he looks back on this.

Emiya sighs in relief.

"Neat. Shinji is done, Sakura's not a Mage, and you're retired right?" he sounds satisfied.

"Indeed. Although Shinji being Shinji…" the Matou elder sighs himself. "He will doubtlessly do something reckless to prove himself as my heir. Perhaps if I spent time "training" him he'd know some humility..."

Right. He did say he'll 'have his revenge'.

I doubt he'll cause** too much **damage without a Servant? Even if he runs to Kirei, I doubt Gilgamesh would bother with someone who lost so early on in the war.

Still, a nuisance at the wrong time can be a **huge **issue.

The old Matou begins to back away into the shadows.

"So then, what will it be young Masters? Will you strike this old man down?" he dares us to make a move.

I'm half tempted to put an end to this abomination. But… I glance at the girl.

She's still breathing. Barely. She won't last long enough for us to finish this fight.

Saber seems to come to the same conclusion.

She slightly lowers her blade. But keeps it ready. A warning for his next actions.

"Go before I change my mind." Saber dismisses him with disgust. "And if your heir steps **close **to my Master…"

"Hm. Very well then. What say you, Master of Assassin?" he-

Hold up.

"I… never said which Servant I had…" notice the detail.

Even if he was watching us before she went into presence concealment… he wouldn't know her class just by looking at her.

"Oh? Pardon me. Perhaps this old man was feeling nostalgic, and said something foolish." he laughs.

Nostalgic?

"... get out of here, and **don't **make me regret it." I made my own warning.

He makes a twisted smile before stepping back into the shadows. There's… and audible flutter, and he's gone. I noticed there was a sewer grate there a moment later.

Did… he disappear into there?

I sigh in relief as the tension, and the smell leaves the area.

"Well… that happened." I comment.

"So it did." Saber puts away her blade.

So, in review, Rider's dead, the Matou elder is a living sack of rotten meat, and Shinji sucks.

Oddly, tonight doesn't quite feel like victory.

"C'mon…." Emiya is… already trying to help that person. "Don't quit just yet Ayako!"

"(emiya..? you have nice hands...)" ...famous last words?

"Okay… that's some heavy blood loss… where's the nearest hospital?" I try to remember.

"No point. Rider drained her mana as much as her blood. Unless the donor has plenty of spare mana, she'll still die." Saber warns.

"We're going to Kotomine." Shirou states.

"The priest?" Why would he help? In fact, I think he'd kill her himself just to see Emiya's distraught face.

"He told me that he'll help in these situations." the other Master explains.

I think about it for a moment.

… is there no other option?

None that I can think of…

Rin **does **have healing magic, but I'm not sure if she's trustworthy right now.

Well, if it's the priest or nothing…

"Hold on. Assassin, get down here!" I order, and she appears before us in less than a moment.

"I'll get her there in two minutes. You guys just catch up." She offers, taking Ayako from Emiya's hands. Having caught on to my idea.

She's the fastest Servant here after all.

She's gone in a blink of an eye. Only slightly slower than her maximum to ensure she doesn't hurt Ayako with whiplash.

"Follow me. I'll lead the way." Saber says before running in the same direction.

"Right!" Emiya follows quickly.

"Now hold-! on." aaaaand they're already gone.

…. Fuck.

"... 'argh'..." I get myself ready for another loooooooong run. "Always with the **fucking **running… **fuck this cardio bullshit**!" I bitch as I jog the entire way because fuck you if you think I'm **running **all the way to Kotomine.

* * *

"_Some" jogging later…_

"'pant' Fuck…. 'pant' This…. 'pant' **bullshit…**." I stop to catch my breath at the gates of the church.

"Master!" I hear Okita exclaim. "I was starting to get worried."

"... I **swear**, if I get out of this? I'll give my body the Saitama treatment…" I nearly growl at my useless body. Warning it of the pain to come.

"... well, at least it got you here safe?" Okita offers meekly. "So, ya still want to train tomorrow?"

Right, still doing that Kendo thing.

"... sure. We don't have much else to do during the day." If it's not magic training, or recon… "So, how's the patient?"

"Haven't heard from the priest yet. That was a while ago." she reports.

I nod, then notice Saber standing not too far away… still staring at me suspiciously.

I suppose I didn't quite prove myself as trustworthy tonight.

"Your Master inside?" I ask.

She just nods, and stands aside.

Well, good news is, Gilgamesh ain't here.

Slightly less cautious than before, I decide to go in, and check on the affairs.

**Creeeeeeeee**

The doors complain as I enter the scene.

Ah, I see Kotomine still has no understanding of the concept of personal space.

"-could I call myself a priest if my flock left church with **more **doubts?" he seems to rhetorically answer some question of Emiyas, before turning to me. "In fact, here's one now."

Hm?

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything Kotomine. Just checking in on the girl." I say with diplomacy.

"Ayako will be fine." Emiya answers, relieved. "I was just leaving."

"Good to hear." I permit myself a moment of relief as well. "If all is fine, let's head back then."

"Right. See ya later. (ya fake priest…)" Emiya almost laughs as he mutters.

"Oh, feel free to drop in at any time… **Emiya… **ooooh, that never gets old!" the Priest enjoys the name.

I let Emiya leave first. Then move to exit.

"Hold one moment." I stop suddenly as Kotomine speaks up.

"What do ya want?" I sound more whiny than I would have liked… but, It's been a long night.

"My apologies, I simply want to talk for a moment." he speaks.

...

"_Be ready." _I order Okita.

If the priest is on to me…

I put on my best mask of an oblivious Master, and turn.

"Very well, what's eating ya?"

"I simply wished to apologize." … wut? "I was dismissive of you both times you were here before. Having expected little from one such as you. However, since then you've shown yourself to be craftier than I initially believed."

… what's he doing?

"er... thank you? To be honest, I pretty much stumbled my way up to this point." I shrug. Conceding that much. Making him laugh.

"One doesn't stumble their way through three battles involving Servants." I guess he's counting Lancer as well? "Mere luck can only carry one so far. Take pride, young Master. I am certain now that the Grail did not make a mistake."

Daw, he's gonna make me blush.

Still, he does have a point. If I was **completely **imcompetent, I'd be in much the same boat as Shinji right now.

Still, Lancer wasn't actually trying, Illya was playing with her food, and Rider… well she had Shinji as a Master.

They all were held back.

I'm not so sure I can say the same.

"Oh? There was doubt before?" I pretend to brag.

"Some. The Grails decision to choose you as a Master seemed… unusual at first. Indeed, the Grail does not choose Masters without a will to fight. At first glance you appeared to have none. Claiming you fought out of necessity was… vague, and unspecific. Whatever your wish is, it has carried you on through hardship. And will continue to do so." the priest acknowledged.

… I feel like he's buttering me up. Question is… what for?

…

He's fishing for something.

"Wish? I have nothing as grand as that in mind." I… I stop myself before continuing. Nearly slipping up.

"Oh?" Kotomine raises an eyebrow?

"What I might want? It's not something I want the Grail to give me. If I had the Grail, I'd be perfectly fine giving it away to someone more deserving. Someone with a **good **wish." now **this **is a lie.

If I had the untainted Grail? I'd use it to help my home reality. Save it from whatever happened there.

The tainted one? If I couldn't destroy it without hurting people, I'd hide it. Hide it away until someone with the capacity to fix it would come along.

Beyond that? I couldn't care **less **for the cup. Although, maybe I'd still destroy it, even if it **was **untainted. That thing… I don't think humans are meant to handle that type of power.

As for crap like world peace, or ending world hunger… I have a… less than typical opinion on that. Although I don't particularly **like **that opinion either.

As much as I **want **it… as much as I **want **such a world where no one needs to cry, I can't help but feel that using something like the Grail to achieve it would cheapen it.

To bend reality to make a utopia… it says something about humans. Says that we have to break the rules to function. That we're so **bad**, so… so **greedy**, and **rotten **on the inside that we have to **cheat **to create such a world… it would be the same as throwing in the towel on humanity.

To **force **salvation on the world is the same as admitting that it's **not **worth saving.

And yet… that **isn't **fair.

I'm privileged.

**I've **never been hungry.

**I've **never had to watch friends, or family die.

**I've **never killed.

For me to make that decision for the world… to **choose **not to save them when **so many **are suffering because of… **philosophy**!? Because of an ideal?

It isn't fair to the millions of people who starve every day.

It isn't fair to the families that have been torn apart by war.

It isn't fair to those who are forced to **fight**, and **kill **just to survive.

I hope I **never **get the Grail. I hope I **never **have to make that choice.

I just want to blow it up, and be done with it.

And yet? That's a sign of defeat to begin with, isn't it?

As much as I **want **there to be a way to save the world without condemning it, I just… don't think there is one.

…. Oh, **fuck**, I'm rambling again, ain't I?

Sorry about that!

"Oh? Is that right?" Kotomine raises an eyebrow, then laughs, "'hehe' perhaps history repeats itself more often than one would think?"

He wasn't talking to me when he said that.

"... The implication here being..?" now I'm a bit lost.

"Robert Orso." The priest turns his attention to me once again. Seeming amused. "The Holy Grail does **not **make Masters of those without a strong desire for it. Whether you **know **what that desire is… whether you **acknowledge **what that desire is? It doesn't matter. Your wish, buried within you, will undoubtedly arise. Yorokobe. For the truth of Robert Orso shall be revealed along with his desire."

My truth? My desire?

Hmph. Fuck em'.

So what if I **do **actually want something? An entire planet's worth of people is **not **worth whatever my deepest subconscious is secretly begging me for.

I'd gladly live my life in silent suffering if it meant people could keep looking for the answers I want. To know there's a **chance **someone long after me can find the solution to that conundrum. Even if I never get to know it myself.

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't, either way, I still got a war to win..." I sigh as I ready to leave.

"Permit me one more moment." Kirei stopped me. "Shirou Emiya briefly mentioned something that caught my attention, and I'd like to know. Did Zouken Matou appear tonight?"

I blink. Kirei… he doesn't seem particularly fond of the it.

"Yeah? Why?" Perhaps he knows something I don't.

The priest mulls it over for a moment before answering.

"Perhaps it's nothing. Perhaps it's everything." he says dismissively before seeing me off. "Farewell, Robert Orso. I can tell you and I will be seeing much of each other very soon."

That's not ominus at all.

* * *

It's only gotten colder by the time I step outside. In fact, it's actually starting to snow.

Saber, and Emiya are gone. Likely having gone ahead, but Assassin is still here.

"Master. You okay?" my Servant asks.

I fight back a smile. It's… a relief to know I have at least one person I can count on in all this.

"Yes Assassin. Everything's fine. Leave it to a priest to just want to talk to someone eh?" I joke. "Where's our wayward hero of justice?"

"Gone home after having a lovey-dovey moment. If I didn't know any better, I'd say those two were already hitched." she laughs.

"Is that so? Perhaps I'm more oblivious than I thought…" I note.

Saber is the main heroine, and love interest of the first route after all. Or so I've heard. Maybe that's how this is gonna play out without Tohsaka?

I'm not so interested in someone else's relationship, and more curious about the whole butterfly effect of me being here.

"Of course, now I'm worried about poor Sakura." Assassin sighs.

"...hm…" my spidey senses are a-tangling…

This girl… she just keeps popping up.

If the principle of Chekhov's Gun applies here…

We should investigate.

Passively, for now. In case I'm being paranoid.

Still… there's something else. Something I think I should say.

"...hey, Assassin..? T-Thank you." I mutter out.

"Eh? What for?" she's tripped up.

"Look, I… I'm not the greatest Master. I'm not very strong, not the most resourceful, I don't know a lot of magic but… despite that, you're sticking with me. Whether that's because you're stuck with me, or not… what I'm trying to say is, thank you for your hard work-"

"Master, we've been over this haven't we? You're **not **useless. You've proved it. Twice yesterday, and once today. But… can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Each fight. Each fight I think you've seen a certain different side of me…" she refers to her 'sadist' mode. "Master… I'm a killer. I killed people for a living when I was alive, and I didn't think much of it. I still don't. When most people see that part of me, it can scare them. What I want to know is… are you fine with having this killer as your Servant?"

"Yes. Absolutely." I answer quickly. "I can't condone killing for no reason. I never will. But… I think there's more to you than that. Just as I've seen **that **side of you, I've seen the Okita that's strong, kind and cheerful. I don't think I'd accept **any **other Servant as a substitute. Just… don't kill anyone without a reason for it okay?"

"that's... that's fine Master. I uh… I'll thank you too… I-I'm sorry what was that other thing we were on about?" she seems a bit flustered. Heh, it's kinda cute-

stop-stop-stop-stop-**STOP**

I think back for a moment.

"Hm… I think I was lamenting my existence again." I joke.

pfft. Jeeze. The hell was all this about?

"Hm, so was it your turn to bemoan, or mine to lift you up?" she sighs.

"Well… since we lost our place- oh~! How I am pathetic!" I say in a tone mocking a robot.

"Oh, you're soooo great Master~!" Okita laughs.

I think tonight left off on a better note than expected.

* * *

_End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA)_

* * *

**So… Heaven's Feel ignorant Self Insert Abridged. Thoughts?**

**Although, I should admit, things are gonna diverge from that route too. When? Well, you'll just have to read, and see.**

**Until next time...**


	13. Law and Disorder

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Ink Deity****\- Well, you're warm. Lukewarm really, but that's all I'll say.**

**Bridd- You do have a point. Although I would like to ask that you consider that she had all of about twenty seconds of screentime in UBW, in which she barely did anything of note, unlike the other two heroins. So Orso never really had her in mind. Associating her as a similar character to Ayako, or at best Taiga in terms of importance. Even nearly forgetting she existed. Because that's what I did IRL until I was kinda spoiled by Carnival Phantasm that she was Riders actual Master (Though I don't know what I was thinking watching that spinoff before watching the final part of the main series) Still, now that she is popping up, he is suspicious. While he isn't Batman, he will be able to piece things together a bit better than Emiya, especially with that meta knowledge. **

**In short, she slipped under his radar for a while, but is popping back up.**

**grasswww- Well, like ya said, It could have happened in that time span, but really, you did find a slight oversight. If it was a major one, I would correct it, but since it is technically correct, I figure... well, fuck it.**

**Blaze2121****\- Rin is not dead. She's off doing… her own thing, Meanwhile, it should be mentioned that while Fou hangs around, he is not really a part of the group. As he's not really Orso's familiar, he's got another Master he's taking orders from, and is still going after his own objectives. As for the ending, well... "better" is a strong word. As for Ruler MC, well, he ****does**** have a wish for the Grail, an altruistic one (i.e, saving the world), and a personal one that I have more or less hinted at. If he didn't know about the taint in the Grail, he'd likely be fighting for that wish. Thus excluding him from being a Ruler. Although, it would make him a prime ally for one wouldn't it? **

**Also, on the subject of the ending of the story, I'm still working out the details of it, so I'm gonna check for some input in the form of a poll that should be up by the time this is uploaded if I figure out that system in time.**

**Would you guys rather Orso's story ends here, or would you want a sequel? And if you want a sequel, would you rather it involve- A: Hollow Ataraxia, B: Chaldea, or C: a Crossover (The other media being determined later)?**

* * *

_Chapter XIII- Law and __Disorder_

_Date: 02/04/2004_

_Time: 5:45 am _

_Location: Emiya Household_

* * *

_He was created to destroy._

_A half breed, made to doom the world of his mother. By all accounts, destined to be a monster. The bringer of a thousand years of darkness._

_Sired by a monster. He was never quite human. He could never be one of them. Never identify with the world he was brought into._

_But, that's the issue, isn't it?_

_Despite everything. Despite the monster he was supposed to become, a choice was made. A choice that consumed his curiosity all his life._

_She chose to save the monster._

_And so, even though he'd never be one of them, even though he was created to destroy them, he became fond of humanity._

_Well- humanity in general. As for __individual __humans well… the less said the better.. _

_Where was I? Oh yes._

_The being created to destroy humanity had grown fond of their stories. _

_But enough about me, let's talk about yo-_

* * *

**THUMP**

"(S-Saber-! G-Good morning! N-no, I'm fine jus- don't get closer!)"

…

"(Master, were you harmed? Do you need me to inspect your body!?)"

...

…

…

"(N-No! I'm peachy thanks! J-just… um… it's morning?)"

"(What does that have to do with-)"

… maybe if I use my pillow as a muffler it'll quiet dow-

"FOU!"

"Ah! Uh, sorry Fou!" I apologized to the familiar I mistakenly grabbed.

The little squirrel creature seemed to pout as it curled back up at his part of the bed.

Anyway, after trying to find a comfortable position again, I tried muffling the antics with a pillow.

…

…

"(Why are you even in my room!?)"

"(Master, as your Servant I cannot, in good conscience, leave you to the mercy of Assassin! Their class is full of foul tricksters!)"

"Well, good morning to you too Saber!" Okita announced from my-

"... Assassin..?" I probed with all the calm available to a man shaken awake from his sleep. Though still lying in the nice, comfy position that I found.

"...yes Master?" she treaded carefully.

"... were you watching me sleep?"

"... you want me to say "no" right?"

"..."

My silence was the only answer she needed.

"Well fine then. Be that way." she puffed, and disappeared from the room. "Just don't come crying to Assassin when that **dastardly** Saber comes crashing in to cut you down in your sleep!"

"(See Master? Every Servant does it.)"

"(That doesn't mean it isn't weird!)"

…

…

"(So, if that's settled, I'll be sleeping next to you from now on.)"

"(Saber… no you're not.)"

"(F-Fine! I'll still be in your room!)"

"(nnnnnnnoooo..?)"

"('Tch'!** that word…**)"

…

I'm never getting any sleep here am I?

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Two hours later…_

… maybe I don't have it so bad?

Despite the lack of sleep, this place certainly doesn't lack avenues for entertaining situations.

Like right now for example. I could see Emiya sweating as Saber was glaring at the back of his head.

As much as I pity him, I find it ironically hilarious that the Master seems to be under pressure from their Servant.

So, to recap, Shirou's still going to school.

In the middle of a war.

After he was nearly exploded.

… our protagonist everybody!

~Anyway~, Saber's pissed off about that. Frankly, I don't blame her.

… still funny though.

So, that's where we are this morning. Waiting for breakfast. Snickering at someone else's misfortune. Watching TV.

"Welcome back to Morning in little Fuyuki™!" The news anchor lady that sounded eerily like a certain blue haired scientist announced.

"Do you think she knows what tha-" Assassin was about to point out.

"That's right Corinne, MILF's got a lot to share with everyone today!" … i-is that LK? I think that's LK!

"Oh yeah, they know." Okita smirked.

Footage of a hospital full of comatose patients appeared before Mr LK continued.

"Starting off, we have news on the developing gas leak situation going on in the city. Last night at least five more people were brought to the hospital, unresponsive, and comatose. This adds to the thirty individuals already affected by the recent rise in unexplained "gas leaks" in our city. With more on that, we go to our reporter Kinoko Satō. Satō?"

"_Okay, enough of that crap…"_ I flip the channel to some cooking show.

"_Nope. Too hungry. Flip!" _Gintama I think?

… I miss Netflix…

"Did you say something Master~?" Saber dangerously asks Shirou.

"N-No! This Tofu is just really really tough...:" best choose your words carefully bub.

**Creeeee**

Huh-?

Oh, right. Sakura.

…

…

I'd probably be espousing some grand plan to get information out of her if I actually had some caffeine in my system right now… this tea just isn't the same as coffee.

"Morning Shirou! I see you didn't wait up on my account."

… there's so much sarcasm in the delivery in that sentence that it's glorious.

I can tell I'm either gonna like the girl, or I'm gonna hate her.

-And for the record, I don't 'like' like her. She's cute, but more like the kitten kind of cute than attraction cute. Although I can **definitely** see how someone else might be attracted to her.

"Morning Sakura. Yeah I'm just about finished, but you can still help by setting the table. Taiga should be here soon." Emiya offered.

"Yeah, sure, it's not like I go out of my way to help out around here or anything~."

… please notice me senpai..?

Anyway, while me and the Servants channel surfed, the fellow students readied breakfast. It smelled amazing, as food tends to do around here apparently.

Totally not jealous of their skills by the way. Honest.

I think it's some fish thing with rice, accompanied by the satisfying crackling sounds, and aromatic smell of bacon, and potatoes in the morning.

Well… it ain't coffee, but bacon's influence will go a long way in at least awakening my stomach.

Despite the place I was, the **world** I was in, the familiar image before me puts a ghost of a smile on my face.

Right now, with the happy, welcoming atmosphere of this home? I could almost fool myself into believing this was-

"...sakura..? what's that on your cheek..?"

I blink, now fully awake.

The ataraxis of the home was suddenly gone.

"U-Oh! I uh… it's **nothing**, I just… fell? On some stairs?"

Shirou spoke with caution you wouldn't think him capable of. Taking notice of… a bruise on her cheek.

…

_"That little __**shitstain**__…"_ it didn't take a genius to put it together.

I remember.

I remember that he beats his sister.

**And I let him go.**

Call it arbitrary, but… to me? People that hurt their siblings? They're scum. **Less than human**.

As the elder sibling, it's your job, duty, and **honor** to protect, and care about your younger siblings.

To be derelict in that duty… **no**, to go out of your way to hurt your own sister!?

If **anyone** hurt my brother? I'd hurt them back a **thousand** times more. Simple as that.

If the pair didn't get along, I suppose I can understand them avoiding each other, but…

**hitting your sister?**

Because **what?!**

Because you're **butthurt!?**

… if I see Shinji again, I'll kill him. I'll **gut** him knowing I'm doing this world a **service**.

… or maybe I'll let Okita do it? I'd imagine she knows more about causing painful deaths than me…

_"*obert?"_

I let him go because there was something… **worse** standing before me.

_"Or**!?"_

He **won't** get that lucky again if he's stupid enough to cause a 'next time'.

_"Master!"_

'flick'!

"'dah'!" I nearly jumped.

_"Master?"_ Okita's voice brings me into focus. Letting me notice how my clenched fists have turned bleach white.

_"I-I'm fine." _I tell her before taking in the situation.

The two students seemed to have moved on from that. Or at least aren't talking about it for now. Continuing to prepare breakfast, only with a new, heavier atmosphere.

Sakura seemed to just want to move on, and work on setting the table.

The gears were turning in Shirou's head however. I don't know what he was thinking but… I just knew it would make things more complicated.

* * *

Breakfast passed quickly enough. The good food was spoiled however by the events from earlier. It turned out there was some kind of potato salad by the way. With bits of bacon in it.

I'd like it if I didn't feel like beating myself up over what happened.

Okita, and Saber were at it… again. Wiping out over half of what was on the table themselves.

Such gluttonous Servants... I pity Emiya's food budget.

Fou didn't seem all too concerned though. Content in hiding under the table in order so long as I fed 'em scraps.

Taiga didn't show up for whatever reason. Shame, she was missing out.

I spent most of the time thinking of what to do next in the war. The obvious first enemy was eliminated.

With Shinji eliminated… at least for now, my next step wasn't so clear.

I can't act directly against Kirei, or Gilgamesh yet. They're just too strong. If I hit hard, and fast with Assassin… I **might **be able to take out Kotomine with a command seal based attack. But that would just piss off Gilgamesh, and Lancer. We might be able to hold off Lancer long enough for him to run out of mana and disappear, but Gil? We'd be wiped out in **moments**. And I'm not interested in some kamikaze attack.

Rin and Archer may, or may not be potential allies. We should investigate more before making a move there.

I'd be crazy to attack Illya. Besides. Even if we **do** somehow manage to kill Berserker, that leaves her vulnerable. And if her heart can be used as the Grails core, it's to our advantage to keep her as guarded as possible.

Caster and Kazuki…

I've got nothing against them. Personally, if they weren't draining the Mana from the townspeople, I'd be content to leave them be. Let her have some measure of happiness. Considering her life, she deserves a chance at it.

If memory serves, Medea only killed in self defense in UBW. The people she drained would recover. Granted, putting people in comas for an energy supply is **pretty** bad, but she **is** going out of her way to not kill them when she could drain them completely. So that has to count for something…

And there's what makes the Grail War so interesting, and painful to watch. Almost everyone involved is in some way sympathetic.

Casters life was horrible. The gods **toyed** with her mind, and heart. **Made** her do terrible things to her own family. **Forcing** her to be with Jason. And they call her the 'Witch of Betrayal' for what she did? For something beyond her control!? Her Master wasn't much better. A puppet of an assassination organized cut from its strings. Finally finding something he loves in his life. I'm happy for the both of them.

Rider Medusa's life wasn't much better. She was either **raped** by Poseidon, or **abandoned** by him, depending on the version of the tale you read. If they were lovers, the god basically left her to her fate when Athena got pissed off about them fucking in her temple and took it out solely on her, turning her into a monster. If she was raped… well, it should be fairly obvious how that's an injustice. Made worse by Athena being the goddess that was **supposed** to protect her, blaming her for something **beyond her control**. It's all one tragedy after another with her from there, varying depending on the version you hear. She was a victim before she was a monster. Although I suppose that applies to a lot of human monsters doesn't it?

'Don't condone what they've done, but don't forget **why** they did it.'

Some villains are created evil. Born defective. Without empathy, and without hope. These are the creatures running around in human skin we call 'socio', and 'psycho' paths. For them, the world should only give quick, and painless deaths before they **cause** pain.

And then there are the sympathetic villains. The ones created not by nature, but by man. Forged by the fires of hate, ignorance, sin, cruelty, and betrayal. The avatars of 'violence breeds violence'. They are the humans humanity has failed. Lessons that we are doomed to always forget. People like them I can only… I won't say pity. They deserve better than that.

Hate them if you must. Hell, for many I still do despite myself. But what happened to them deserves study, and understanding. In the least so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.

I- where was I? Oh yes. Our next target.

Caster is the one hurting the most people. Even if it's not permanent, it's still concerning.

That, and there's… well, she's the biggest wildcard right now.

Without the Assassin Servant, there's no telling what she's prepared. I'd prefer to know what she's got in store.

**So**, next step- Investigate, and neutralize Caster..

Secondary objective- convince her to stop peacefully.

Archer at least got her to stop feeding on the civilians. I think we can accomplish that, if we're lucky.

If we're not… we'll do what we must.

Either way, we ought to scout the location out first.

"I'll see you at school Sakura. I'll just be here fixing pipes for a while. As I tend to do.." Emiya told his junior, who was off to do club activities. In the morning. Apparently they're **just **that important in Japan.

"Oh ~Shirou~, what have I told you about those pipes? You have all the pipes you need. Stop taking in stray pipes... or else?" … she's looking at him but… I feel her eyes on me… and I just got the **weirdest **chill down my spine.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, we've talked about this. Pipes are an **integral **part of this household." … well, he's not **in**correct… "And so long as they support my dream of being a hero, I'll continue to save **every **pipe in front of me."

Sakura sighs as she leaves.

"I'll be sure to let Ayako know you fix pipes better than dojo's. Later Shirou." she almost pouts as the door closes.

"I am never living that down…" the future counter-guardian laments.

"Problem?" I ask.

"Well, apparently I'm taking the heat for a lot of the collateral damage the Servants caused at the school." he explains.

"Oh… right. Sorry about that…" I'm not sure how much of that me and Assassin are responsible for…

"Meh. No biggie." he shrugged, and was about to move on to practicing his magic for a while when he stopped before leaving the room. "... say bats, can I ask something?"

"... explain this "Batman" thing to me, and sure."

"Well... come on~! You've sort of come off as some ninja-like, man of few words, detective hero with a secret backstory. Throw on a cape, and maybe… a **few **more character traits, and I think DC might have to sue somebody."

"Okay, couple problems with that." I point out. "Batman **doesn't **kill people, I would if I **had **to. Batman could probably **buy **the Holy Grail, and I'm… effectively homeless at this point. And really, if you wanna hear my "backstory" you just gotta ask. Not much to it, but it's there. All that, and I'm not an orphan-"

_Your entire home reality is on fire._

"... I **think**." let's… **not **go down that mental rabbit hole. I've got enough on my mind without worrying about my family's well being.

Cold as that might sound, it's better than constantly wondering if they're even alive.

So, until I've gotten evidence to the contrary, I'm going to **assume** they're okay, and keep working to keep them that way.

"You... think?"

"It's complicated." I say dismissively.

"That… **kinda **seems like the sort of thing someone would **know**." Emiya points out.

"I just- …**look**, the last I heard of them? My family was… they were in a bad place. For their sake I can't say too much about it but… to be honest, what's happening to them **may**, or may **not **be related to the war. I don't know for sure, but right now, from what I know of it, it might be **correlation**, not **causation**, but this is the **only **lead I got. I've gotta do **something**." my fists tighten again.

At the end of the day, it might just be the case that none of what I'm doing matters. No one ever said that what happened back home had **anything** to do with the Grail War. Which would mean all of this effort could amount to nothing. I… I don't know what I'd do if that was the case.

I'm in an **alternate reality**. Over ten years into the past. Involved with magic, spirits, and monsters. I don't **want **to know my odds of even **going** home in the first place. I need to focus on the mission if there's gonna be **any **hope.

"Oh… so less Batman, and more-"

"Stop equating me to superheroes!" I demanded before he finished his thought.

"Sorry!" the redhead got defensive. "After that night with that spear guy, you just… you gave off this image of someone that knew what he was doing around stuff like this. Like you've seen it all before." well, he's right on the last account. Just, not for the reason he thinks.

"... I can see how you might **think** that…" I might've oversold it here… "... look, let's just move on. You had something you wanted to ask?"

Shirou realizes how we've gotten off track, and works to move us back.

"Right… I wanted to talk about Sakura." and there it is.

"... Cutting to the chase, you've got two options with that one if you want to help at all. Either remove her from that environment, or remove her environment from her." I can tell where this was going.

Emiya blinks at the conclusion I came too, but gave it some thought.

"... See? This is why I call you Batman." he says with a satisfied expression.

"Of course, there's difficulties with both, but, she's your friend. Try to keep her best interests in mind." I suggested.

He put some more thought in before coming to some conclusion.

"Thanks. I think I know what I've got to do." He says with certainty.

"And that would be?" Let's talk with our allies this time, yeah.

Shirou gains a distant look in his eyes.

"I'll be a **hero**." he declares, sounding overdramatic.

…

...

"... no, I mean, **specifically**. 'Cause, the last time you did this you ran off into a Servant battle without a plan." I refer to last night.

It went well then because he had backup, and Rider was weakened by her Master. Either factor being taken away could have made it much more risky.

"Oh, I just thought about having Sakura stay over. There's definitely plenty of spare rooms. Besides, Shinji… just needs a while to cool off."

"... right…" I don't believe that for a second.

If we get the chance, me and Assassin will do something about the Sakura situation. No one deserves to have to put up with that.

And that takes us to just that.

**Sakura**.

I'm almost certain she has a route of her own, which would **imply **that she has some importance to the story. However, there's an issue.

I wouldn't have the **slightest **clue how.

Both Saber, and Rin were relevant to the plot in UBW. Sakura… she was barely a minor character with like… **three **lines of dialogue?

Not much for me to work with.

I could **almost **believe what Zouken said for a moment. It makes a utilitarian sort of sense to not train the weaker sibling if there was only **one **that could gain the crest. And if **Shinji **was the better of the two, why even bother with her?

And if he was lying, and she **was **the stronger of the two, why make Shinji the master of Rider? It would be a waste of time and resources.

Not to mention the abuse. If she was more powerful, why would she put up with it?

Although the answer to that **might **be complicated. I barely understand what goes through peoples heads when they **aren't **broken. It could be a result of some weird Stockholm Syndrome.

Or maybe it's mental? Like she **believes **she's weaker or something?

The state of the mind can have an effect on one's ability, as I've noticed. The more I've grown to **believe **that I could do magecraft, the **easier **it's become for me to perform.

Getting back on track, I just don't know enough about Sakura to make assumptions. That, and she wasn't exactly important in UBW. This will all **probably **amount to some big sidequest.

We all got bigger fish to fry right now. Namely, the Grail War. We'll deal with her as the situation develops.

"Just let me know when you're ready to talk about the next step of the war." I tell the future counter-guardian.

"Let's wait until after school. I've got some magecraft training to do before I head out." he explained as he turned to leave.

"Mind if I watch? I don't get to watch another mage work very often." I've got nothing better to do, and I could try to figure out what he's doing wrong.

"Oh, uh… sure." he shrugs, and leads the way.

"In that case I'm coming with you." Saber declares. Still distrustful.

Seriously? **What **have I done to earn this animosity?

"Keep yourself busy Assassin/_Keep on lookout Assassin."_ I order. Even though I know there are small odds we'll be under attack, it's still good to have some warning just in case.

"Sure thing. I'll… just be watching TV over here." she smiles as she snatches the remote before switching to Law and Order.

Meanwhile, Fou pops back up out of nowhere, climbing up upon my shoulder like a parrot. I scratch his head as I follow Emiya outside, closely followed by Saber.

We followed Emiya outside, and into his shed. The door of which was still broken from Lancer.

**bzzzzzt**

The inside was… well, it looked like someone had a hoarding problem.

Scattered pieces of junk, and disorganized pipes of various sizes, and states of repair laid themselves out across the floor.

More importantly for this room however, the ambient magical energies of the area seem much more concentrated here. Making it a more ideal workshop than what I was working with in the HQ.

"Er… sorry about the mess." the owner says embarrassed as he begins to try to clear an area. "Kinda forgot to clean this place up after Lancer."

"It's all good. Here, let me help." I offer.

"Sure. Just be careful not to step on that magical circle over there. Dad always said it was important." Shirou points out the circle through which Saber was summoned.

"I know."

"I know."

Me and Saber turn to each other after realizing one was the others echo.

"...Oookay then~!" Shirou gets back to work after noticing what happened.

Taking a cursory glance at the circle, I wasn't all too sure what to make of it except for making certain it was made by a mage far more qualified than me, or Emiya. All things considered, it was probably Kiritsugu's.

I then spend a few minutes trying to help organize the place. Putting things back where they belong.

Fou tried helping as well, but the little guy could only do so much. Settling for organizing the things into piles.

Saber, oddly, didn't help at all. Choosing to 'supervise'. She seemed to be **trying **to give off a prideful aura, but I got the feeling she was just being lazy.

In the middle of putting some pipes away, I noticed something odd.

**Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt**

This one was one of Shirou's successes. There was an ambient energy to this one. Though, it seems to have faded.

"_Define Real."_

Almost on instinct, I flow magical energy into the object.

Shirou paved the way into creating this pseudo mystic code. Forming the reinforcement lines so well that I doubt I could make out the details even if I knew structural analysi-

Wait. The lines! If I carefully pulse Mana through the internal structure I can follow the same path Emiya took in identifying the conceptual structure-

Following through, I think I just figured out structural analysis thanks to probing Shirou's reinforcement magic!

It's not exactly perfect. In layman's terms, the 'image' I'm getting is 'blurry', and I'll need a lot more practice if I'm gonna do it right consistently, but it's there.

Testing it out, I activate the reinforcement already laid out in the pipe by Emiya with a small amount of energy. Careful not to overflow it.

Rough estimate? I made it about 30% more structurally sound. At most this thing could probably go up to 300 before hitting a wall. At best **I **could probably amp it up to 100% without making critical errors as a result of my poor grasp of structural analysis, causing it to buckle.

I'd be tempted to advance the reinforcement as well, but besides not wanting to risk breaking someone else's things, Emiya basically covered everything I could see that could be reinforced.

Maybe if I tested this o-

"What're you-"

**Crash! **

**clang clang...**

"...S-Sorry… got a bit carried away…" I say embarrassed as the pipe crashes to the floor. "Should've asked first…"

"N-No, it's fine. It just… normally it takes me about a minute to get my magic to work." Shirou says, surprised at the still glowing pipe laying on the floor.

Was it under a minute? Felt like longer.

"Well, you did most of the work of reinforcing it. I just gave it some juice." I say dismissively. Not mentioning having just figured out a new magecraft. Then fumbling awkwardly to put the mystic object away.

"Er… right… well, I'm about ready to start now." He says grabbing an unused pipe in the pile.

"Oh, neat." I hand him the last unused pipe on the floor. "You said you did reinforcement right?"

"Yup. Reinforcement let's me find the strengths of an object, and shows me how to enhance those qualities. But… I guess you already know that huh?" he takes a glance at the pipe that was just now beginning to fade.

"... you could say that…" I give a non-answer.

"... trace, **on**." a single magical circuit lights up on his body as the mana flows into the object.

The pipe in question glows brightly for a moment before-

**SHATTER**

"GAH! STUPID PIPE! How could you- my **most **trusted ally- betray me!? I SWEAR VENGEANCE!" the future hero declares.

"...oh."

"...oh."

There's another echo as me and Saber make the same brilliant observation.

... again.

"S-Sorry. It's just… When things don't go well for a while I get frustrated, and when I feel frustrated can either blame myself, or the object. I find it's… healthier to blame the object." Shirou reasons.

"Fair enough." so long as it's an object, and not a person… **Shinji**.

"I'm usually pretty good with pipes! I… guess I'm just having an off day?" he excuses his mistake.

"Keep trying Master. Tiger mom believes in you." Saber nods along.

… hold on. The **Lion **King just said something ridiculous.

"... Tiger mom?"

"Indeed. As my Master, and Student, Shirou's like the son I never had." she smiles conte-

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_In another abridged timeline…_

Red Saber was having a pretty nice day.

She, and her Master were out, and about in Trifas, hanging around. Hoping a fight would start soon.

Specifically, they were at a cafe having lunch. It was nice, if a bit boring. Although, in the corner of her eye, she spotted something interesting.

One of the neighbourhood cats was playing around with a ball of yarn, having fun. Saber was tempted to go over and play with the feline-

But that's when it hit.

**SHATTER**

"...Saber..? You doing okay?" her Master carefully put down his phone upon noticing what happened.

Her coffee cup shattered in her hand the moment she became overwhelmed by a sudden torrent of emotion.

"...I'll be straight with you. I think my rage just broke. In fact, I think I just got the sudden urge to **murder** anything with red hair, and a hero complex."

"That's… oddly specific." her Master noticed how her eyes had suddenly turned bloodshot out of sheer rage, and wondered how sure he was that she wasn't a Berzerker.

"... I'm gonna go looking for anymore of those Black guys. See if that helps." she almost calmly got up and left.

…

…

"... Better hope no one hears **that **out of context…." Master of Saber grumbled before picking his phone back up, and apologizing to Waver. Reminding himself to pay for the broken cup.

* * *

_Back to the story…_

Everyone in the room felt the sudden chill, but chose to ignore it since it was probably just the wind going through the broken door.

Anyway, I accept the explanation.

It's a bit… weird, considering the first route. But, in a way, it makes more sense.

Saber might **look **around our age, but she's got to at **least **be in her late thirties based on her lege-

… she's staring angrily at me now.

"Master of Assassin, I do **not **appreciate the assumptions I feel you're making." her intense stare has me sweating.

"Er… um…" it's karma this time. Definitely karma. _"Hey Assassin? I… miiiight need you in a minute… Assassin? Okita? Okita are you ther-"_

"_Hold on! I think I just figured out who murdered that couple in Central Park! My money's on the ex-girlfriend!"_

… eh?

"_The hell are you on abou- oh."_ I think I just did something irresponsible._ "Okita! Listen to me! Law and Order is __**highly **__addictive! Think of what It'll do to your brain! And more importantly, your friend!"_

Pretty sure if Saber kicks me in the balls again, the Nasuverse will have **another **genderbend on its conscience.

"_Oh my buddha…"_ she seems to take what I said into- _"It was the brother all along! They better catch him before he leaves the country!"_

"(well, she's a lost cause...)"

"Ex-**cuse** you good sir!?" Saber extended Invisible Air.

"Wa-Wa-Wait! D-Don't hit me Saber-san!" I prostrate myself before the dragon.

Dafaq? Why was **that **my first instinct!?

"Saber, I don't think he meant anything?" Yes! Thank you Shirou, my hero!

"...hmph, very well. But I **will **be watching you…" the Lion King warns me.

"Er… um… sure…" I can feel the red grow on my cheeks as I get up. "S-So, back to your training…"

"Right, now let's give it one more go-" Shirou finds a plank of wood, and tries to work on it before-

**SHATTER**

"-GAH!" it splinters in his hands.

"..." I… don't know what I was expecting. I was well aware before I came here that he wasn't all that great with magic.

Now that I'm in here… I remember Archer saying something about him having circuits he didn't use until he projected Kanshou, and Bakuya. That they were dormant or something.

I never really encountered the problems he did when I first used my circuits. Maybe it's because I did it right the first time? I still encountered pain, but nothing like the muscle spasms Emiya had. Just another mystery I suppose. That reminds me. I'd better Self Analyse soon.

Okay, so, game plan.

I figure out how to awaken his regular circuits without causing him to become a liability.

Question. Why isn't he using his regular circuits?

Answer? Unknown.

So, in order to understand how he's doing it **wrong**, I need to figure out how it's done **right **first.

"Right… I think I'll just leave you to this then…" I say as I turn to leave.

"W-Wait a second." Shirou stops what he's doing.

I stop at the door, "Something wrong?"

"Thank you." … huh?

"For?" I turn to the redhead, who now had his Servant by his side.

"For helping me with Sakura. Normally I would've just punched Shinji and hope he'd learn his lesson, but with this Grail War going on everything just seems screwy."

"I'm sure you would've done this eventually anyway." I shrug. "As inconvenient as it'll be, it's the best terrible option."

"Terrible?" Shirou blinks.

"Well, when you think about it, your house is something of a war zone right now. If she comes here, Sakura might get hurt as a bystander." I explain, "Buuuut, alternatively, no one here is going to hurt her. Hell, on top of that, she's under the protection of two Servants, and a "hero in training". All things considered, this is probably the safest place in the world right now. "Safety" is relative. Especially in a war, but really just in general. So yeah, bringing someone to an **active **war zone to keep them **safe **is the height of irony, but the other option right now is leaving her with a violent abuser. So, you know? Lesser of two evils."

Emiya thought about it for a minute. Realizing that he was taking Sakura out of lava, and into a frying pan.

"And beyond that, if she **is **a civilian, it'll be difficult to conduct a war while hiding it under her nose, but it is doable. We'll just have to be subtle about it." worst case scenario, that's why I looked into hypnosis magecraft.

Shirou seemed to look off into the distance. Likely thinking of how to work around Sakura always being home when he's fighting a war.

"~Anyway, I'm gonna head back. Gotta practice my own magic. You and Tiger Mom have fun with your pipe!" I tease with a smirk as I exit the shed. Nearly growing a full smile as the two struggle to respond upon realizing the implications.

Tiger 'mom'. Riiiight...

* * *

_One minute later…_

_Inside… _

"Yeah, thanks for the help Assassin." I say sarcastically as I pass by the Servant on my way to the room Emiya had spared for me.

"To be fair, **you **told me to stand guard." she shrugged without taking her eyes off the TV. "Besides, you **also **told me you don't need me guarding you 24/7."

"Consider it to be an exception when I'm **asking **for help." I say, stopping in my tracks before looking to the TV.

Hey, I think I remember this episode! It's pretty old by my time, buuut~ I guess it's fairly new now.

… more incentive to get back home. Eleven years worth of 'reruns'.

"Rojer." Okita gives a salute as the music pitch reaches high intensity on the show and she becomes completely engrossed.

I raise an eyebrow at this, but shrug it off.

"(Hm. suppose I should expect as much from a police girl.)" I mumble as I leave the living room.

"Hey, I've never watched TV before, give this "police girl" a break!" Okita overhears me, and protests for a moment before refocusing on her crime drama.

Making my way into my temporary room, I quietly close the door behind me as I try to work out how to do this.

I find myself meditating in preparation for the self-induced procedure. Not sure what to expect.

"_Define Real."_

My circuits ready themselves once more as I try to figure out how to reverse Structural Analysis to study my own circuits.

It doesn't take too long, and I take myself into a dee-

* * *

…

…

… _well this is different._

_I feel like… like I'm free-floating, but submerged in something. _

_My 'eyes' were having a difficult time making sense of what they were seeing. If there was a close comparison? I'd say I was in the deepest trenches of the ocean, but there was no pressure threatening to crush me. There was an endless deep void stretching out in all directions._

_It seemed to go on forever. With no indication that this was what I was looking for. _

_I was about to stop, and leave this place when something caught my eye._

_Off in the distance. Something was glowing…_

_Just as I began to focus on that place, it began coming more, and more into view. And it kept getting warmer._

_There! I can just barely make it out… those blurry glowing lines…. Are those my circuits?_

_I kept moving forward. Getting closer to the image before me. _

_**it's hot.**_

_I nearly lose focus. The heat is sweltering at this point, but I keep going. _

…

…_._

_It's clear now. My circuits. Sprawled out in a design resembling a pseudo-nervous system._

_I see/feel them out. _

_In total, there were about… _

…

… _30 in total? A few looking better than others. _

_I can't say how they compare to other mages having never seen another Magi's circuits. Each one as individuals could be completely pathetic as far as I know._

_Most of them seemed… functional? For a lack of a better phrase. _

_Summing up, there were about 10 'Average' circuits. With another 20 that look like they'd give out before the others. _

_But.. there was __**something **__else._

_There was… a structure… it wasn't exactly a circuit but..._

_**It's hot.**_

_**It's Hot.**_

… _If I get closer, it will be painful. I'm pushing myself to my limit with my miniscule experience with this magecraft._

_C'mon… just a little more…._

_**It's Hot!**_

_**It's Hot!**_

_It's roots run deep..._

_**IT'S HOT!**_

_I pull back. _

_**IT'S HOT!**_

_**It's Hot!**_

_**It's Hot!**_

_There was something beneath. I __**know **__there was. _

_Some… weird sense of calm._

_The others… the 'Average', and the 'Stunted' ones. They didn't have this… function?_

_I couldn't hazard a guess what this meant. _

_Hm…_

_I've learned all I can at a glance. Without more intel, this is meaningless to me. _

_I decide to end this until I understand circuits better._

* * *

I blink as I come back to my regular senses.

The lighting in the room has changed a bit.

The sun must've changed its position in the sky, so it must've been at least an hour.

"_The self-analysis must've distorted my sense of time… or I got distracted, I dunno."_

My body still felt a slight stinging heat from the use of my circuits, so I turned them off as I got up to leave.

The house was quiet. The life it once had seems to have dimmed. I can only assume it's because its owner had left since I did my thing.

I'm walking to the living room when I see Saber turn the corner, and notice me.

There's a flash of… almost recognition in her eyes before they shift to something akin to spite, and once more to distrust.

Some small part of me felt pangs of regret at this. That the Once and Future King could look at me in such a manner.

Dismissing this feeling, I choose to focus on my next move.

Namely? Getting to the TV.

We're able to ignore each other for the most part as we pass by in the halls. That is until we both came to a stop just as we passed each other.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment where neither of us said anything, or moved to face the other.

But that changed when Saber asked-

"Orso... are you sure that's you**BZZZZT BZZZZT-**"

**pain**

**pain**

**pain**

The world goes out of focus for a moment.

Everything around me seems to… it seems to almost... glitch.

One moment I'm looking in the opposite direction of Saber. The next?

We're standing next to each other with Saber looking at me with a surprised expression.

I hold my head in pain for another moment before everything returns to normal.

"S-Sorry Saber. You said something?" I ask once I get my bearings.

Instead of answering, she stares at me in an almost pained expression.

She stands there for nearly a minute before seemingly coming to some conclusion, muttering something under her breath, and returning to a more neutral expression.

"No. I did no such thing. Carry on." She says like nothing happened, and walked the other way.

_"... sooo, was it something I said?"_ I ask no one in particular.

Moving on, I found my way to the living room where Okita was still watching TV.

"Marathon?" I ask the Servant.

"Seems to be. Wanna watch with me?" She offers a nearby cushion to sit on because the Japanese don't believe in couches.

Not having much else to do since I was taking a break from mage training, I figured 'why the hell not'.

"Sure." I shrug as I sit down Indian style.

…

…

Don't think I've seen this one yet. Must be a rare older one.

Silver lining, if I get stuck here. I can get caught up on a lot.

…

…

"So, I guess Emiya's at school?" I ask without taking my eyes off the screen.

"Yeah, he left an hour ago." Okita informs.

"... And he did it without a Servant…" I sigh.

"You're the one that **insisted** we ally with him." She adds, neutrally.

"... Are you having…?"

"Objections? No. I am your-"

"As much as I appreciate your trust Okita, I'd like to hear your opinions on the matter just as much. Your experience in battle far surpasses mine. I would be an idiot if I didn't at least listen." Since this is turning into a discussion…

"With respect Master? I felt as though you've criticized yourself enough. You needed to focus on what you could do rather than whatever you **couldn't**." she wasn't wrong.

When I started out, I panicked. Overwhelmed by the graveness of the situation. Now?

Well… I'm still worried. Maybe even anxious if I ever find myself thinking too hard about any of this.

I wouldn't call it panicked though.

"Humor me. At least this once." I ask.

"..." Okita hesitates. Perhaps old habits dying hard? "... Were it not for what you know… if we didn't know about how things really are in this war? I'd think our strategy is **completely** wrong. I'm an Assassin Servant with **some** Saber like qualities. My every instinct is telling me that we're being too… "overt". And allying with a Master like Emiya?"

Fair enough.

"I know he might not be a perfect ally-"

"It's more than that. He seems to have a **completely** wrong mindset for fighting a war. In fact, I'd almost say he was denying the reality of the situation he's in." she described her view of Emiya.

Yeah that's… probably because of the reality marble.

From what I understand, such a thing is only possible by having a damn near delusional view of the world.

In Emiya's case, this makes him almost predictable to me.

Key word being… 'almost'.

"Yeah… Emiya's… he's… unique? But it's those traits that make him-"

"Let me finish." Assassin interrupts, "Emiya's not fighting in the Holy Grail War. Not really. But… neither are you. Even beyond his potential, it's better in some cases to have a weak ally you can trust than a powerful one that might stab you in the back. Overall, I think you're doing as well as you can with what you know and believe. If you're fine with that, I see no reason to complain."

Hm. In the end that's the most I can hope for.

"Is that everything?" she nods in confirmation to my question, "Thanks."

"You asked. Besides, you asked me before to let you know if there was anything wrong. Things are going well enough so far. So relax, and watch this box that slowly devours our souls with me before we have to go fight for our lives again."

Nuff' said.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Homurahara..._

Shirou was on his way to lunch after a conversation with Taiga. Apparently she hadn't shown up this morning, and was unusually late (which is saying something with her) because she was feeling unusually tired, and low-energy. Which concerned him. Mainly because it seemed to him that the only thing that could **hope **to keep her down would be the plague.

In that regard, he was speaking with Issei on the way to lunch about a possible quarantine scenario.

"... I see. So the Tiger of Fuyuki has come under its influence as well…" Issei noted with theatrical seriousness… or real seriousness, it was hard to tell, "This was predicted as a worst case scenario… may the gods help us all."

"As well?" Emiya hadn't heard of anyone else…

"Indeed. At least two teachers, and thirty students have called in feeling ill. With symptoms awfully similar to what those coma patients went through before they collapsed." Issei informed him.

Emiya paled slightly.

"_The coma patients? 'Bats said that a Master was involved with that. If they're affecting people at the school, I need to find out who they are, and how to stop them."_ the redhead came up with a gameplan.

"You... think we might have a gas leak?" Emiya carried the conversation on, but knew the true cause. But he couldn't tell his friend that-

"Personally, I think a witch did it."

"Ah… that seems… logical?" Emiya felt nervous. If Issei said 'witch' did that mean he knew about magecraft? Was he a Master?

"Think about it Emiya. Rin Tohsaka calls out of school just days before this mess starts up for no discernable reason. I think we both know that red devil is up to something…"

… on second thought, he might just be blaming his misfortunes on someone he sees as a rival.

Still, he wasn't wrong. Rin was a Master. Could she be responsible for this?

He **wanted** to say **no**. **No way**.

But… he didn't think Shinji was capable of doing the things he did. And Shirou thought he knew the Matou fairly well.

Rin? He barely ever said 'hi' to her in the halls. As much as he would hate to say it, it might be possible she's worse than Issei's worst nightmare.

Shirou stopped, noticing something.

… speak of the devil...

"What's wrong Emiya?" Issei asked upon realizing his friend wasn't right next to him.

"There's… something I need to check on. Be right back." Shirou decided to go after the out of place twin tailed girl that just passed by in the halls.

If she knew something, he had to know.

"Emiya." Issei stopped him again.

"What's up?" Shirou asked, then saw there was something strained about his friend's expression.

"..." Ryuudou seemed to hesitate before saying, "... call it paranoia, but… I've got a bad feeling about all this Shirou. After what happened to Mitsuzuri? All the gas leaks? Something's wrong. I can feel it. The monks at the temple haven't said anything, but you can tell there's been a change. Stay safe friend."

Shirou blinked.

Issei seemed worried. And when Issei seemed worried…

"Don't you worry Issei. For whatever malfeasance has befallen this city, I assure you the allies of justice will **not **allow its light to die!" Shirou exclaimed dramatically.

"... is one of those allies you?" Issei knew his friend too well.

"I would… be one of them, yes." Shirou responded sheepishly.

* * *

Shirou did his best solid snake impression as he tailed the young Magi. Following her through the halls as she made no particular pattern as to where she was going.

Come to think of it… he didn't recall Rin ever staying in the cafeteria for lunch. Maybe this was a regular pattern for her?

Wait, there! She must be going to the roof for lunch.

Sneaking… sneaking… sneaking…

He was by the door to the roof. The one Rin closed behind her as she went up.

"Yeah Archer, it's a **real** shame about all those coma patients."

* * *

"_This is dumb. He's not gonna fall for it Rin."_ Archer grit his non-corporeal teeth at this asinine mess of a plan.

His younger self didn't always make use of his head, but even Archer had to doubt he was **this **stupid.

"_You don't know this idiot like I do Satan. Juuust~ watch. I'll have him hanging on __**every **__word."_ Rin was more than confident in her skills in manipulation.

"Yeah, all those innocent people that Servant AT RY-UUDOU is draining." No **way **he can miss this! "It's a **darn** shame most of those people might **die **if **something **isn't done about that Servant AT RY-UUDOU…"

Archer felt his already drained sanity slowly breaking.

"... 'sigh', yes **Rin**. Too bad you're busy looking for a different Servant, and cannot stop them. If only some **big**, **tough**, **muscle man** went to go stop them. Oh, **what**, **a**, **shame**…" This was insulting his intelligence in two different ways...

"Yes, if **only **there was some Master that cared about people in the town enough to stop the Servant AT RYUUDOU…"

If this worked, Archer was gonna kill himself himself.

'course, he was gonna do that anyway, but… well, now there was gonna be another reason.

So, long story short, after Rin figured out his younger self was a Master, she tried to kill him at least 36 times.

Well… not really. EMIYA wasn't at all sure she was 100% serious about it. Which would explain why the moronic 'hero' wannabe was still alive.

He was pretty sure that if Rin wanted him dead, Shirou would be dead. Not so much because of Rin's ability, but because of Shirou's (Or his lack thereof).

Rin always had a soft spot for him. Even before they really 'knew' each other.

So, he was almost positive that before the night was out, Rin would get cold feet, and swoop in to save Shirou from Caster. To whom Rin is currently trying to send Shirou, where he will meet his untimely end by the hands of either her **numerous** dragon tooth warriors, or by one of the **countless** magical traps she has placed in lieu of the Assassin Servant that has now been summoned by someone else.

On that note… that was another part of the plan he felt Rin was outright ignoring.

The new guy. The one that **definitely **wasn't in his war.

Archer had only gotten a look at him from a distance. Seeing him with Shirou last night during their 'battle' with Rider while perched in a crows nest on the opposite side of the river.

He **could **have killed Shirou then… but besides not knowing if Assassin could do anything to block his shot (thus, losing his element of surprise), he wanted the satisfaction of Shirou **knowing **what killed him, and why.

Though his memory of his war was a bit hazy, he could at least remember a bit about each Master, and Servant. It was an advantage he **thought **he could count on.

Now with an unknown factor running around with his younger self, he would've liked to know **how much** of a problem that factor could turn out to be. Which was why he 'scouted out' an enemy Servant at Ryuudou temple while his Master was concussed, whom he told Rin was dug in like a cockroach. Which is where she came up with a plan to bait Shirou into attacking Caster so Rin could watch, and learn about Casters tactics, and so Archer could watch, and learn about Assassin's Masters.

He doubted he'd be lucky enough that the both of them would get themselves killed... But if he was? So be it.

Which would all be a moot point if Shirou had the same number of brain cells as a goldfish, and was therefore smart enough to know Rin was leading him into a trap with this method.

"_Rin this is ridiculous. There's no one on the __**planet **__stupid enough to fall for this."_ he warned her one last time before-

**Step-step-step**

His enhanced senses told him his younger self had decided he'd heard enough, and moved on.

"... so, you were saying?" Rin asked, looking smug.

"... he… could… think we're on to him?" oh. Here's something else he didn't miss from his time.

Rin being able to say 'I told you so'

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Downstairs…_

"Y'know, I can't help but think Rin was trying to tell me something?" Shirou joked aloud.

**Obviously**, his super-spy hero skillz provided him with **valuable** intelligence about the whereabouts of the Servant hurting all the students at the school, and the people in town.

Batman will be happy to know he's figured out their next move.

* * *

_Several hours later…_

_Miyama..._

He was not happy.

Matou Zouken had waited **very **long, and **very **patiently to achieve his goal… but the cards were **not **in the favor of his original plan.

He had hoped to be able to wait until the next war to make his move. But… after analyzing the war, and his… condition, he didn't think he could afford to wait that long.

The Matou were dead with this generation. Shinji had proven that.

There would be no more pawns of his own blood he could use the same way he was using Sakura.

It was true when he said that the Tohsaka would be unlikely to speak to them now. Let alone **any** watchtower family. Any influence the Matou may have once wielded had faded with their blood.

That meant that when Sakura's body gave out due to either age, or any thaumaturgical phenomenon, he wouldn't be much longer for this world.

Zouken could not let that happen.

This war was his last chance. His last chance at an undying, **unrotting **body.

So, in this regard, he made his move.

And he came to a stop.

Before him lay the steps to Ryuudou temple.

It wasn't exactly **ideal** for this summoning ritual but…

Caster would do.

**clatter**

**clatter**

**clatter**

The old man sensed the telltale clatter of bones.

Dragontooth warriors.

Hundreds of them.

Coming in various shapes, sizes, and functions.

Compared to a modern mage? A daunting threat.

Compared to Zouken?

"Child's play."

In just three minutes, his swarming familiars had disassembled them all from the inside out.

In another two, he had walked up the steps of the temple, and stood before the waiting Caster.

They stood in their respective positions for a full minute. Each gauging the other. Their positions in terms of **elevation **hinting towards their positions in terms of **power**.

But power isn't everything.

"..."

"..."

"Oh~, poor old man, what is such an **unloved **near-corpse doing **so **far away from the nearest nursing home? Tell you what? If you turn around, and go back from whatever morgue you crawled out of, I won't extirpate you, and you can go back to never being seen by your grandchildren." Caster spat.

"Oh-ho my-my, such disrespect for the elderly. Is there some new rule about us not being allowed to visit our local temple?" Zouken mock-laughed.

"I would almost be tempted to let you in if **monsters** like you were to burn like you should upon entering a supposedly holy place." Medea's nostrils were begging that she cleanse this worm-sack sooner rather than later.

If she was quick in punishing its insolence, she might be able to comfortably get back to bed without disturbing her Master...

"Oh, I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen young lady." the talking rot laughed, "But in order to prevent that, and excuse me if you've heard this line before…"

**buzzzzzzzzzzz**

**buzzzzzzzzzzz**

**buzzzzzzzzzzz**

Hundreds of familiars spilled out from beneath his robe as Caster grimaced, disgusted.

"I **need **your body."

And like that, the steps of Ryuudou temple were lit up in a battle of ancient Magi.

* * *

_End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA)_

* * *

**So, thoughts? **

**Please Favorite, follow, and review everyone!**

**And beyond that, stay safe!**

**POLL IS UP! Let me know what y'all think about how this all should end! Just stop by my profile page to go vote.**


	14. Tone Shift

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**POLL IS UP~! If you're interested in affecting the outcome of this story, cast your vote, and let me know.**

**Orion399****\- One would wonder when, where, and how he got any magic crest. Or, come to think of it, access to magecraft in general, no?**

**max305/-runelt99- Yes, I guess you ****could**** say it would be suicidal for him to confront her in a direct attack on her own territory. **

**That begs the question, is he being desperate, clever, or both? Even if it was all or nothing (which, when you see things from his perspective, it kinda is), would a 500 year old Magus attack an entrenched Caster Servant without a plan?**

**Blaze2121- The plot, up to this point closely resembles Heaven's Feel. In fact, that's the way this particular timeline was headed before Orso got thrown into the equation like a stone into a river. Everything here was ****supposed**** to be a Heaven's Feel Abridged timeline. As Matou Zouken's actions shall soon dictate however, that is to no longer be the case.**

**This is where the original canon begins to end.**

**As for the BZZZT thing, I suppose I could've explained it earlier, I was just waiting for an organic moment in the story to do so, but it's not all that important a detail. Short version? It's supposed to be static. **

**You know how Shirou detects magic by "smelling" it? Well, Orso detects it by way of a feeling. Like how some places are staticy, and make your hairs stand on end? Or, you know when you've found a piece of metal that's charged to the point where it might give you a slight shock? That's how Orso detects magic. By feeling the direction, and intensity of that static, he can detect the direction, and strength of mana.**

**If you're starting to get lost, I can give a brief summary of the story so far on my Bio page if you want. However, it should be stated that there won't be explanations for everything because the plot is still ongoing. You're probably gonna need it because if you think the story's been confusing so far, you should know we're just getting started. Everything until chapter 10 was just the prologue. We're just getting Arc 1 of 4 going. If I explained everything now, it'd be like Archer outright saying he was Shirou in episode 4 of UBW. At this rate, we'll get to the big reveals in say, ten, twenty chapters?**

**SunOfSunGod- (does best River Song impression) ~Spoilers~. **

* * *

_Chapter XIV- Tone Shift_

_Date: 02/04/2004_

_Time: 3:34 pm (several hours before the end of the last chapter)_

_Location: Emiya Household._

* * *

**CLANG!**

**Clang!**

"Watch your legs!" I was warned-

**Whoooosh!**

I jumped to avoid a leg sweep, and used the momentum to attack their shoulder-

**tap**

"Aaaaaand, y'er dead." Okita smirked. Her wooden sword poking at my chest.

I sigh as it registers that I lost.

_"Damn… pretty sure it was ten seconds faster this time…"_

Dropping my own practice blade to the ground to take a break, I moved over to a bottle of water I had ready. Sweat, and the cool air not being enough to cool me down.

"Surprised you went for the strike. You're starting to act, rather than react." she remarked as I finished drinking.

I raised a finger to indicate I was occupied.

Nothing more delicious than ice cold water after a long workout.

"'sigh', I guess frustration at always being on the backfoot won out." I lamented my over-eager strike.

"Don't be too down on yourself! Your victory will come someday~!" my Servant encouraged me cheerfully. "Just keep trying! Your fighting spirit is half the battle."

"And the other half?"

"Skill." she stated simply.

"Right… well, since I doubt I'll find the skill in time for the end of the war, I'll just have to borrow some of yours. Lord knows you got plenty of that to spare."

"It's not like you don't have any of your own." Assassin scolded, "At the very least, you've got an innate talent for swordsmanship. And your footwork is almost on point. If it weren't for the dream cycle, I'd think you'd just received poor training. Makes me wonder where you learned to move like that."

…

* * *

_Four months ago, Orso's time..._

_~I'm putting on my shades To cover up my eyes I'm jumpin' in my ride I'm heading out tonight~_

_~I'm Solo, I'm Han Solo, I'm Han Solo. I'm Han Solo. Solo.~_

_~I'm picking up my blaster, Put it on my side. I'm jumpin' in my Falcon Wookie at my side.~ _

_~I'm solo, I'm Han Solo, I'm Han Solo. I'm Han Solo. Solo!~_

"_Woo! 100%!" I shouted to no one in particular. "Jontron was right! This __**did **__make this entire fustercluck of a game worth the effort! 10/10 IGN!" _

_I ready another song- _

* * *

_Now..._

"Y'know. Around. Also, dream cycle?" What could she have possibly seen that would make her think that?

"Yeah. A couple nights ago I saw you when you were little. You were having the time of your life fighting off a bunch of bigger kids with… some kind of green stick?" she looks off into the distance, trying to recall details.

Green stick..?

When did I-

Ah.

"That was… a loooong time ago." I start to recall.

"I figured as much. You weren't even half as tall, and actually seemed to be enjoying yourself." Okita seemed to giggle at the memory.

I grow red in embarrassment.

"'sigh', yeah, these things aren't a major breach in privacy at all…" could be worse I suppose…

"Oh come on Master! Being adorable at some point in your life is ~nothing~ to be embarrassed about~!" she tries to encourage me.

"Not helping Assassin." I sigh with my head in my hands. "And for the record, I was having fun at the time because me, and my cousins were all messing around with toy lightsabers. We all liked to roughhouse up until someone started to bruise. At some point in that time you saw, they all thought it would be funny to gang up on me. I thought it was fun to cut loose a bit. It **stopped** being fun riiiiight~ around the point where I accidentally- **accidentally!**\- broke the eldests leg. Inadvertently stopping him from joining the track team for about a year. Naturally, I felt like a piece of shit for about that long. Still do really. After that point, as fun as fighting like martial arts, or HEMA, **might've** seemed, I was kinda… hesitant because I was worried about accidentally hurting someone… which seems **kinda** stupid saying it out loud, since it would probably be under a **lot** more control than a bunch of dumb kids hitting each other with toy sticks for shits, and giggles in a basement. Still, that worry was… and still **is** there. I guess the difference now is that my life actually depends on it."

"Oh… wait, I thought you were outside?" Okita seemed to notice some discrepancy.

"... no, I'm pretty sure it was inside. Not... that that's the important part." strange thing to focus on…

Assassin shrugged.

"If you say so. By the way, I've been meaning to ask something." she changes the subject.

"Shoot."

"Remember two nights ago, when we were explaining the Grail War to Shirou?" I nod, "You were talking about which Servant you would've wanted to summon? I was just curious who you would've hoped to get."

I pause to think.

I had primarily meant what I said in terms of Servant **Class **rather than which **individual **hero I wanted to summon.

"I… really don't know? If I knew what I was getting myself into when I made the summoning. I… think I would have just gone for just about any Archer, or Caster Servant. Saber, Berserker, and Lancer would've cost me Mana I didn't have to power. And I'd rather **not **murder people, so if I **did **summon Assassin, their skills would've been useless for what I would've planned. And Archer, while potentially costly in terms of Mana, is intended for anti-Servant combat while we could've struck from an area out of immediate danger, and gone to retreat to recover. Caster would've negated mana costs with their skills as Magi, while allowing us to properly support our allies, and strike from afar. As for Rider… in the war I saw, **and **this one I suppose, they didn't **particularly **get to do much, so I couldn't really get an idea what their strengths were. Besides, we both saw the result of not being able to fuel them effectively."

Is it weird that I'm disappointed we didn't get to really fight her? Cause I felt like we were getting blue-balled.

"As for **who **I would've liked to see answer the summoning… I personally would've just gone with whatever the Grail gave me, rather than hope I could get along with the few people in history books I actually like." assuming it chose Servants based on personality rather than artifact, I would've been more curious to find who it would've matched me up with.

Hell, even beyond the history books, with all the mythological heroes running around, I also gotta consider who among them I would've wanted… or who would even count as being summonable.

Food for thought, could I have summoned Batman? Or are there rules surrounding fictional characters that are a bit too strict for that?

"But if I **had **to choose, I would say... Theodore Roosevelt, Boudica, Florence Nightingale, Atalanta, Ned Kelly, Robin Hood, Cyrus the Great, Machiavelli, Tomoe Gozen, Jeanne D'Arc, Flavius Belisarius, or Oda Nobunaga right off the top of my hea- you okay?."

It was then that I noticed Okita twitch at the mention of that last name.

"... Dunno. Just felt my blood pressure rise to unprecedented levels at the mention of that last name…" she looks off into the distance with a look of concerned deja-vu.

"Do Servants **have **blood pressure to raise..? Better question, **why**? Nobunaga was **long **before your time."

"... I just… it was just an odd feeling that an old rival was about to arise from the grave to pull a childish prank on me." she seemed to grow an odd combination of embarrassed, and nostalgic.

"That's… oddly specific Okita." not to mention unusual.

"To be honest, I **might **have an idea where that was coming from, but back to the previous topic, why them? There… doesn't seem much connecting those people." she moves us back.

I shrug.

"They're just people I find fascinating. Each for their own reasons. There are other figures I'd like to meet, buuuut I'm not sure their legends would lend themselves well to beating the Grail War. People like MLK, Gandhi, or Hiawatha would be fun to meet, but probably only make for mediocrecombat Servants at best." can't see how any of them would win against even Rider in a fight… then again, Hiawatha **was **a warrior before he united the Haudenosaunee… "Why? Worried I might try re-rolling the Servant roulette table?"

"I was wondering what your idea of a hero was. Or at least what you valued in one." she explained, "Your list… did not help. Though, to be fair, it **does** comprise of better choices than your choice in allies…"

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_Shopping District..._

"So, wanna hang out again sometime… little… sis?" Emiya asked the Tiny Murder Machine™, unsure of what to call her.

"hm… sounds fine future victim!" Illya responded gleefully.

* * *

_Theme Song- Fate/Stay Night - "Brave Shine" (FULL Opening) | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee_

* * *

_Thirty minutes later..._

_Back in the dojo…_

_"Christ, why did I agree to this?"_ I questioned my decision making process as I duck an overhead attack.

**Fwoosh!**

"TAIGA SWIPE!" I swear, I just saw her animal spirit guiding her shinai.

_If you survive this encounter with a wild tiger, consider it as a lesson about pride._

Not **helping,** voice in my head!

_Fine, be that way._

_By the way, dodge._

Dodge wha-?

**WHACK!**

FFFFfffffffuuuu**uuuccccckkk!**

"NO MERCY! NO PRISONERS!" Taiga announced her r.o.e (rules of engagement), and continued her assault until, and I quote, 'one of us cries uncle'.

_"Left"_ my coach, Okita, guides me.

I react in time to block another bi-lalteral slice.

Taiga's fast. But not Servant fast.

Compared to sparring with Okita, Fujimara is swinging about in slow-motion.

**Un**like my Servant however, she doesn't hold back the force at the last second. So when it **does** hit...well…

**WHACK!**

**YUP**, THAT'LL BRUISE~!

**WHAM**

**BAM**

She follows up after that dazing strike to the forehead with another to the ribs, and another to the knee.

This opened the tiger up however, for a summary-

**STRIKE!**

To her left shoulder.

This was how this contest had been going for the last ten minutes.

For all her skill, and ability, Fujimura Taiga was far slower than my usual opponent. Letting me react to her attacks easy enough. However, her instinct, experience, and her raw strength dwarfed mine.

But that's the thing ain't it?

That's **everyone** I'm supposed to be up against.

"GAME OVER!" The woman loudly announced as she put all her strength into one overhead strike.

It's also everyone I'll **find** a way to defeat.

Okita would later say there was a glint in my eye at this moment.

After a long match of mostly blocking, and attacking only as a counter. I never came off as an aggressive combatant.

That changed in the last second.

Her attack was powerful.

But it was **way** too obvious.

She expected me to meet her blade with mine.

She did not expect me to tuck, and roll under her attack.

Surprised by the sudden maneuverability, she was too slow to turn and-

**WHACK**

Deflect the hit to her back. One that knocked her off balance, and right out of bounds, hopping on one foot.

Returning to a defensive stance, I panted like an overworked cheetah awaiting her next move.

Re-finding her balance and turning around, I saw a dangerous look in her eye as she smiled, and-

"YAAAAAAAAH-!" charges back in!

I ready to meet her when-

"Times up!" Okita steps into the center to break it up.

Both me, and Taiga, jerk to a stop.

"Eh!? C'mon! I was having fun Souji!" Taiga complained.

Yeah, since the name Sakura was already taken, we decided it was best to go with her real first name. Better to avoid confusion.

It's a fairly common name, so there's no risk of anyone deriving her true identity. In fact, I'd imagine most would assume it was a false identity, or red herring.

"Look at your opponent…" Assassin sighed…

Huh? When did I collapse face first to the ground?

"((come at me bro…))" I mumbled into the floorboards.

**pain**

Oh, good, that's back.

"Saber, if you would?" Assassin gestured to her currently motionless Master.

Saber, who had been silently judging the entire time, walked over to me from her corner.

I turned over to see her continuing her silent judgement.

_No. It isn't judgment._

We waited like this for a moment before she extended a hand, and helped me up.

I didn't hesitate to take that offer for long.

"Thanks…" I say as she pulls me up.

"NEXT FIGHT!" Taiga demands, still full of energy.

All present sweatdrop.

Saber, and Assassin give each other a look, and come to some silent conclusion.

"Very well Taiga! I will now be your opponent!" Okita declared with a raised blade.

This won't take long then.

I move to the side to observe, and raise an eyebrow when Saber elects to join me.

Sitting down Indian style, I watch the spectacle with Saber sitting Japanese style to my left.

"Well fought."

I blink at Artoria's comment.

"Was that a compliment?" I say rhetorically.

"Indeed. Though you may be my enemy, tis only respectful to say so." she nods stoically.

"Oh? So there is no contradiction between **enemies**, and **allies** for you?" Sounding more antagonistic than I did in my head, I began regretting my comment almost immediately.

Saber blinks at the tone, before looking off so I can't see her expression.

"I…" she was about to say something when-

"DAISHOURI!"

Okita cheers while Taiga lies on the ground defeated. Her shinai falling, and sliding across the room.

"That actually took longer than I expected." I state, deadpan.

"Sooo~, Master? Did your Servant impress you again?" Okita walked up to me.

"Oh yeah, that was a really good… sword… thing?" I say, not wanting to admit I wasn't paying attention.

"Wha-? You weren't watching?" she pouts.

"er... um… I'm sure you were great? You beat her pretty fast." I offer meekly.

"H-Hey?! D-Did I say I surrendered?!" Taiga tries to rise to wobbly feet, clearly dazed by whatever the hell it was that Okita did. "**No-way I'm losing in my own Dojo!**"

"Eh? But doesn't this belong to Shirou-" Okita tries to ask before Taiga grabbed… another Shinai, seemingly out of nowhere, and charges again.

"THE STUDENT SHALL **NOT **SURPASS THE MASTER'!" she swung with such vitality that it likely would've rendered me unconscious, or worse.

Assassin, very much a Master of swordsmanship, skillfully swayed out of the attack's way, and countered with a sweep that sent Taiga crashing to the ground.

**THUD**

"owwwwwww…." the grown woman moaned in pain as she came to a stop.

"...So? Does this make me the Master of the Dojo now?" Okita tilted her head to ask with all the innocence of a child.

* * *

_Thirty minutes later…_

**creeeee**

"I'm home!" Shirou announced from the entrance.

"Welcome home Shirou." Saber nods.

"Welcome back." Okita adds.

"... welcome back… baka…." Taiga… pouts with her head on the table.

Yeah, she's taking the loss on her record pretty hard.

"I take it you had no issues today, Emiya?" I lay a double layered question.

Shirou takes a moment to think about Taiga's attitude before answering.

"Na, nothin important," he says, dismissively. "What's up with Taiga?"

"She's just a little buthurt she lost to Souji." I joke at the teacher's expense.

"((Incoherent dangerous mumbling))." no one made out what **exactly **she said. Something about 'loosened up'.

"She's also probably hungry." a true sportsman like she purports to be should be able to take a loss in stride, so I could only assume that's part of why she was acting a brat.

It had even started to get to the point where I was almost tempted to make something just to get her to pipe down. My cooking sure as hell ain't Emiya's, but it isn't something to scoff at.

Shirou nodded. Noticing the seriousness of the issue.

"Oh, so Taiga and Souji had a match?"

"She fought everybody…" I winced as I subconsciously moved my bruised arm to a more comfortable position.

Shirou raised an eyebrow as Saber continued for me.

"She seemed to be bouncing around the house when she got home. I challenged her to a match to pass the time, and happened to catch them in the dojo just as they were finishing up. Taiga felt inspired to have a 'mini-tournament'. One which had no winner."

"Because the two of you broke the last shinai!" Taiga shuddered from behind Emiya, whom she was using as some kind of human shield, while referring to Assassin and Saber.

Yeah… that was… **interesting **to watch. The two were **barely **holding back their Servant abilities. I can only assume some Grail related instinct was influencing them. In fact, I was getting worried that I might have to practice some memory alteration on Taiga.

Luckily the last two shinai had broken in the same strike, so things didn't get any more out of hand.

Suffice to say, 4th place might've saved my life, so I'm not all that choked up about it.

"Maybe we went… a little overboard?" Okita admits.

"I must admit however, Souji. Your technique was on fleek." Saber told her.

"... thank you? I think?" Assassin turned to me for confirmation, to which I could only give a 'how the hell should I know' shrug.

"_Pretty sure that slang hasn't even been invented yet…"_

_Just go with the flow, yo~!_

… no.

"Seriously Shirou! You better watch yourself around her! Don't go sneaking into her room at night unless you wanna die!" Taiga added. Overdramatically.

"... yeah. Because **me **sneaking into **her **room is a foreseeable problem." Shirou adds, dryly.

Well, I can at least confirm that this isn't just confined to him, and Saber. Evidently, most Servants engage in light stalking of their Masters as a hobby.

I can't tell if it's endearing, or concerning.

Oh well. Could be worse.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

_In an alternate universe…_

The last Master of Chaldea… was tired.

Clearing out micro-singularities on the regular wasn't exactly labor-deficient work. Though the Servants did most of the heavy lifting, the drain on Mana in the field was **exhausting**.

So, when they finally came back to their room after the end of a long adventure involving the gender-bent, superhuman, historical, and mythological narcotic powered lunatics they called Servants, Ritsuka believed they were due at least 6 hours of shut-eye.

"... bed, sweet bed…"

**Plop**

"EEP!"

Whatever progress they had made towards sleep on their way back here was halted by the shriek of something under their bed.

Though perhaps a very caring individual, Ritsuka was very tired. And hesitated a moment before concluding they were somehow obligated to know who had ninja'd their way into their room as they looked under their be-

Yeah, it was Serenity.

… oh, and Kiyohime! So they were finally getting along~!

Blinking for a moment, the last Master took in the nonchalant expressions on the stalkers faces before asking-

"You guys okay?"

"Yes, we're fine Anchin. You just surprised us is all."

"Yeah, you barely made a sound. You might make for a good Hassan."

Nodding in acceptance of the situation, Ritsuka re-orientated before taking in two details about the room they hadn't noticed when they entered the room.

One, the closet was open. And in the clothes there was clearly a pair of legs belonging to a certain motherly Servant they had recently grown to accept as… well…

"Goodnight mama Raikou."

"Goodnight Ritsuka."

Fujimaru sighed in acceptance one last time before turning to turn out the lights an-

"... Majin-san?"

"... yes?"

"... why the lamp?"

The alter Servant hiding (and standing out) behind the lamp looked down in disappointment with herself.

"... all the good spots were taken."

"... there's a cubby hole under a tile on the northwest side of the room no one has claimed yet."

She turned, then beamed upon noticing the spot.

"Thank you, Master."

Overall, Ritsuka Fujimaru couldn't tell if their life was blessed, or cursed.

… maybe both?

* * *

_Back with the story…._

"So uh… Taiga? There's something I've been meaning to ask so… can Sakura stay over for a whi-" Shirou was suddenly interrupted.

"**-YES**!" the woman looked very happy to hear of this.

"... not even gonna ask why?" Okita muttered aloud.

"I've shipped them for the last year, and a half. Personally, I'm just happy one of them has decided to finally take the initiative. And really, as long as there are guests over, I don't think Shirou would go about doing anything inappropriate with these paper-thin walls." the English teacher admitted.

"Wha- it-it's not like that!" Shirou denied red faced, "I-It's just, Shinji's not home a lot, and their house is going to get work done soo-"

"Hush-hush-hush-hush~! There's no need to explain Shirou. Big-Sister Taiga's gotcha covered. Oh, but if anything **does **happen, remember to wrap it bef-"

"**DON'T SAY ANY MORE THAN THAT!** Choose any other topic- **ANY **other topic, and I'll get dinner started I swear!" Shirou, now a shade of red I didn't know humans can reach, offered the teasing tiger.

"... notice how he didn't deny that he'd-" I spoke in a loud whisper to my Servant before Emiya stomped out of the room.

"NNNNNNOPE! La~la-la~la~la~**LA**!" He actively tried to tune us out as he was about to move into the kitchen when-

**Creeee**

Ah, speak of the devil.

Shirou redirects himself to the door to go greet her.

"Wonder how this'll go…" I find myself saying out loud.

"Well, he got this far. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt." Okita added.

"There's just one obstacle. Will Sakura jump at the chance, or will she try to deflect?" I continued.

"Oh she'll pounce." Taiga seemed certain in this.

"... what makes you so certain?" Saber was initially hesitant to get involved in the gossip session, but seemed to jump in upon realizing there wasn't much else to do right now.

"I've been watching these two play house for over a year now. I think I've got the dynamic down." the teacher stated with confidence.

"So Sakura, wanna sleep with me?"

Que four facepalms in the living room.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wha!?"

"I-I-I-I mean- **here**! Wanna sleep **here **for a few days!?"

"(If this works, I swear to god…)" I say with my head in my hands.

"Oh, uh… yeah, that's… **totally **what I hoped you meant…"

"Y-yeah, I just though-"

"**Yes**."

"... okay… kinda thought it would take a while longer to convince you…"

"... is it just me, or does he seem to consistently fail upwards?" I ask around the table, to which I never got an answer.

* * *

_One hour later…_

After some damn good food, and a… casual conversation about bra size (apparently they do the measurements differently here. The more you know? Also, apparently Okita's about the same size as Matou-)

_Is that so… ;)_

… shut up.

_Did you check?_

Ignoring you now.

_You can silence me but you can't silence the truth!_

~Anyways, Taiga had gone home while Sakura was taking a bath. Leaving me and Emiya free to discuss Intel he'd recently received about the war...

"It's a trap." I told him.

"Er… are you su-"

"Yeah, she's baiting you." Okita backed me up.

Shirou looked somewhat hurt as he looked to Saber for her opinion.

"... it **does** seem slightly suspicious…" she hesitated to outright put him down.

So, apparently Rin knows about Caster.

Buuut, apparently she doesn't know enough to go about attacking her herself, so she told Shirou innocent people were in danger, and hoped to send him on his merry way to his death so she could watch, and learn.

A cold, but clever tactic. I should expect as much in a world where she doesn't come to work with him

It probably helps her that she's batshit crazy, but that's neither here, nor there.

Buuut, unlucky for us, her plan will coincide with our own.

I was already planning to scout out Caster. But… now that a potential enemy would be watching? I'm even more encouraged not to make a hasty move that will show our cards.

"... But, she's not necessarily wrong." I pretend to hesitate.

"You... already knew?" Shirou questioned.

"I did. In fact, I was going to suggest we scout Ryuudou out when you got home. My preliminary investigation showed that the coma's were a cause of a Caster Servant. We already beat Rider, Lancer is too direct for that method, Berserker and Archer aren't exactly lacking for Mana with their Masters, I doubted you'd know **how** to do this if you **wanted** to, which only left-"

"Caster." Saber finished for me.

"Right." I nodded, "And since charging a **normal** Mages workshop without a plan is tantamount to suicide, I wanted to scout the place out first."

"If you knew about this, why'd we go on patrol yesterday? There are people **lives** in danger!" Shirou objected.

"Because they're not." the redhead raised an eyebrow, "If Caster **really** didn't care about innocent lives, those people would be drained to death. Which is why I took the time to let you get your feet wet before throwing you into the deep end of the battlefield. With a Master like Shinji, Rider made for good practice. Admittedly, she had been made even weaker than I'd thought… but regardless, it was experience you needed before the next battle. Since there weren't any lives in immediate danger if we left her be, we could **afford** to wait, and prepare before attacking Caster, so we did."

Emiya considered my reasoning for a moment before begrudgingly accepting it.

"So, what's the plan Bat-"

A glare stops the nickname in its tracks.

"I- mean, Robert?" Emiya caught his slip up.

"Tonight, we're not to attack if we can help it. We'll skirt around Ryuudou to investigate it's defenses, and fall back. The Servant will probably be aware of our presence long before we arrive, so they'll be ready for an attack, which is why we **won't** be doing that. **So**, no **heroics**, **no** charging right in. We observe, and at **most** test the outer defenses, and go home. Got it?" I try to make myself clear.

Shirou hesitated before nodding.

"... Look Shirou, if you're just going to charge that temple like a dumbass, you can leave the recon to me and Assassin."

"No, I get it. It's a delicate situation, and people can get hurt if we're not careful. I choose to believe you know what you're talking about." Ladies, and gentlemen, **behold**! It learns!

"Good. Be ready to leave by the time Sakura's settled in. Now if you'll excuse me…" I get up to ready my battle kit, just in case.

There's a lot of ways this can go south. Caster's dug in there like a cockroach, and is as clever as a fox. And that's not even taking her Master into account.

So, with that in mind, even though I'll put off an all out attack until I know what defenses she has in store, it won't hurt to come prepared.

Some offensive rune grenades, each with different effects.

Unlikely to compete with Medea's magecraft, they can be of support against Kazuki, and possibly whatever defenses she's got. So long as it isn't-

**Thud**

I stop in my tracks.

Halfway to the room I sleep in, I heard something heavy fall nearby.

Looking around, I saw that it came from the bathroom.

… _wasn't Sakura supposed to be taking a bath?_

I instantly got worried.

I walked over to the door and knocked,

"Everything okay in there?"

…

No response.

"_... Okita, could you get over here? I might need you in a second."_

"_Huh..? uh, sure."_

I knock harder.

"Hello? Sakura?"

Again, no response.

"What's up?" Okita asks while she approaches.

"I heard something fall in there, and I'm getting worried Sakura might've slipped getting out." I explain, to which Okita nods in understanding.

"Sakura? If you're okay in there let me know, or we're coming in." I announce to a familiar effect.

I give Okita a look which transmits my intent. She acknowledges, and opens the door.

"Ah, geez." she sighs.

Uh-oh. I don't like the idea of anything that can make the perpetually bubbly Okita Souji react that way.

"What happened?"

"See for yourself." I take that to mean she's at least **mostly **clothed?

Moving in, I almost immediately see the problem.

Sakura's unconscious.

I take a breath, and try to think this through.

"Carry her to her bed. I'll let Emiya know the issue." I don't know if this is an emergency room situation, or a painkiller, and bedrest situation. She's knocked out, so I'm leaning the former. It's probably best to get a second opinion first.

Either way, I should check in with Shirou. There doesn't seem to be a first aid kit or anything in here, so he should know where I can find one.

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

"-just saying. Just this time around, you should stay here. If it's bad enough that she collapsed, I'd rather someone be around to monitor her condition." I argued to the owner of the household.

When Emiya heard what happened, he almost had a heart attack.

Thankfully, he had a first aid kit in the dojo, so hopefully the worst of this disaster has been avoided.

"I can't just stay here…" he objected.

"Kyu? Fou! Fou!"

Fou spoke up from the bed Sakura was resting on, alerting us to her beginning to move.

"Hide." I told the familiar as Shirou moved to support his… let's call her his 'friend'. 'Pseudo-housewife' ain't quite right...

"Sakura!"

"'uuuggghhh'... I'll be down in a minute gran- Shirou?" the girl woke up sounding a lot like how she looked at the moment, "Why are you- owwww!"

"Take it easy. You had a pretty bad fall." Shirou stopped her from getting up.

"I… I fell? I don't…" she strained herself trying to remember. "Wait… I was in the shower and then- ... um…" her already fever red faced managed to turn a deeper shade.

"Yeah, Orso heard what happened and checked in on you. " Shirou informed.

"For the record, I had Souji check first. If that sort of thing is important to you. How're ya feeling?" I cleared up any potential misunderstanding.

"... life is **pain…**" yeah, I feel ya there…

"Sounds about right. With a fever of 102°, I'm surprised you felt well enough to… make… dinner…"

Well… let's hope Emiya's as good at teaching food **safety **as he is at teaching how to **cook**.

"**102**!?" Sakura sounded incredulous.

"Actually, it was **38.9**! He just **refuses** to use metric for some reason!" Okita announced from somewhere else in the house.

"You use your measurement system, and I'll use mine!" I declared, stubbornly.

"So, yeah. It was bad." Emiya states, "Now, drink your medicine, and get better."

"Y-Yeah… um… c-could you…. um… nevermind…" she was about to ask something of Emiya. Something…

Y'know… I think I'm starting to get how this girl ticks.

"... By the way Emiya, Considering how she's a little off balance because of the fever, you should probably help her out. At least for now." I grow a mischievous smirk.

"Off balance? She's not going anywhere like this." he looks confused as to what I'm getting at.

"**Exactly**. Which is why she could use some special attention. It wouldn't be very **heroic **of you if ya left a sick girl on her own. I mean, what if it gets worse?" mock worry grows in my voice as I play to his hero complex.

If Shirou gets stuck here for **one **night, I think i can handle it. **Besides**, we're just scouting for now. We're more likely to run into trouble with him around anyway.

"I… well, you're not wrong… can we talk outside for a bit?" Shirou must want to talk about the war.

I shrug, and gesture outside.

"I'll be back in a minute Sakura." he assures his kohai.

"Please don't let **me **hold you up…"

We walk for a minute until we're out of earshot.

"Is there any way we can just… wait… at least a day or two?" Emiya starts.

"One day is a **long** time in this thing Emiya. We can't both afford to stand around waiting. As I said before, this sort of thing is a specialty of Assassin. With any luck, we shouldn't run into any problems. **Besides**, Sakura needs you right now. So stick around, at least for tonight." I encourage him.

"... How about just until she goes to sleep? If nothing goes wrong, she should be fine until we get back." he insisted.

"... fine. But if she isn't out by eleven, we're leaving without you." I state my condition.

I'd really rather we didn't leave a sick person un-supervised, but given the… unique circumstance…

Besides, if shit **does **go wrong (and given Murphy's law, it **probably** will…), it'll be good to have some extra firepower on our side.

"Don't worry. I'll give her enough benadryl to put out Berserker." he… er…

"Please do not intentionally overdose the patient." I order, deadpan.

"Orso, would I **ever **do **anything** to hurt an innocent person?" he asks like it's an obvious answer.

Given what Archer almost let Shinji do to Rin in UBW, I'm not exactly inclined to give him the answer he thinks he's gonna get…

"..." I hesitate to answer.

"**Exactly**. Because a real hero would never allow themselves to do just that." he nods, confidently.

"... just go see to your friend." I try to end this conversation.

With that, Shirou went to watch over Sakura for a while longer.

"Hmph. You got your work cut out for you Matou… It's ironic, in a way. The one you seem to have emotions for is too blunt to notice the aggressive part of your passive-aggression. Best of luck to yo-"

…

Weird… I just got the chilling feeling I was being watched.

A quick observation of the environment revealed that this was likely to be untrue… but given my current occupation as a Master, I'll forgive my own paranoia.

Moving back inside, I see Shirou already attending to his 'friend'. As well as-

"... worried for your "kid" Tiger-mom?" I ask, mirth in my voice.

Saber almost jumped upon hearing me. However, she did not cease spying on the two.

"For your information, as his Servant, it's of great concern to me that he is safe when dealing with strange characters." she defended herself.

"... Strange character? She's a sick civilian he's known for years." I'm one thing. I'm a guy he met like two days ago with a lot of suspicious inconsistencies in his backstory.

It was then we both saw Shirou feed Sakura some medicine, and Saber's expression turned into one of… oh my...

"... Jealous?"

"... You have ten seconds to run before I forget the precise terms of our alliance." she threatens with a reddened face.

"Thank you. Servants are very hard to run from."

"Eight… seven…" and like that, I was out of the room.

* * *

_Two hours later…_

_Outside the Emiya residence…_

"... We'll give him ten more minutes…" I say with all the patience under my command.

"... Do you really not want him along?" Okita asked.

"It's more that I'm worried about leaving a sick person unattended. Although some part of me is worried he'll do something… Shirou."

"Did you just use my Master's name as an adjective?" Saber asked.

**Slam!**

"Okay! Okay! I'm going!" Shirou nearly tumbled out the door, closely followed by a very determined familiar.

"Fou! Fou!" The squirrel thing exclaimed while herding Emiya out the building, and proceeding to pounce on him.

"Okay, so maybe he's part shepard?" I casually theorize.

"Your familiar is… oddly... independent?" Saber commented.

"It's just how he is." I shrug. Not really wanting to explain Fou's circumstances.

"Yeah, he's terrific, could ya call him off now!?" Emiya demanded as Fou stood triumphant on his chest.

"Fine. C'mon Fou, let's not antagonize the help." I ask of the familiar.

The squirrel considers this for a moment, then trots off of his opponent, and climbs up until he's on my shoulder.

I help Emiya up.

"Word to the wise, don't underestimate something because it appears unassuming." I give the redhead a light warning.

"Right… so, Ryuudou then?" Emiya grabs… another pipe off the ground.

"Lead the way." I gesture to the general area.

* * *

_Ryuudou Temple steps…_

"Oh! Hold on! Watch this!" Okita stops us as we reach the temple.

"What's wrong!?" I ready for an attack.

Okita walks up to the stairs and then… dramatically poses, pointing at the temple.

"Kemosabe! Temple straight ahead!" She declared…

"... anyone else got any dated references they wanna get out of their system before we get serious?" I ask after I realized what she was saying.

...

"... ~G.I Jooooooeee~~~!" Emiya added.

"~hmm~hmm~hmm~ NA ~na-nana~ na-nana~" Saber began humming to the Mission impossible theme.

"Fou~Kyu-Ku~!" Meanwhile, Fou began reciting the Indiana Jones theme.

"... I shouldn't have asked…"

* * *

About five minutes later, everyone had their shit together.

Okita reappeared after scanning the area in her concealed state.

"Nothing." she states simply.

"Nothing?" I ask without taking my eyes off the entrance.

"Nothing active at least. There **was** a bounded field around the temple but… it seemed… patchy?" She tries to explain what she saw.

"Patchy?"

"Damaged. Much like the area around the gate. I don't think we were the first ones here tonight." she theorized.

"Could it have been another Servant?" Emiya asks.

"Most likely. I don't think much else could have gotten very far." depending on what defenses the outside had, a Master might've been able to breach the gate. But no one would get too far in without Caster breathing down their neck. "Real question is, who?"

Rider's dead. Lancer's on Kirei's leash. Archer's probably watching us right now. Berserker's Master is mostly content to hold up in her mansion. Saber and Assassin are obviously not suspects. So unless Caster did this to herself…

"(something's not right…)" I mutter.

There's a missing piece to this puzzle.

"Orso?" Saber asked.

"... We're going in." I state.

"What happened to scouting the place out?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.

"Let's call this… "aggressive reconnaissance" yeah?" I smirk, then turn serious again, "Besides, something's happened, and we're not learning **what** out here. Assassin, watch our six."

Okita nods, and vanishes again. Ready to ambush anyone else's ambush.

I walk the temple steps for about two minutes. Ready to react to any attack but…

Nothing.

Not even the sound of insects in the night.

The only sound being the occasional gust of biting cold wind carrying wisps of snow.

"Master." Saber called out from behind us.

She bent over into the snow covering the ground, and pulled something…

"Is it… normal for the Japanese to poorly bury their dead on the steps of a temple?" I ask, seeing the femur in Saber's gauntlet.

"No, it's not…" Shirou said as he got a closer look, then handed the thing to me.

No, this wasn't a human bone. Of that I was certain. It was too dark. It's texture wasn't that of bone either. It was almost like…

"(dragon's teeth…)" it looks like it was one of those golems Caster used.

The other two looked at me, looking for an explanation.

"C'mon." I don't have one to give.

I stick the bone in my bag. It's magical material, so it should be of some use.

As we approached the gate, I took account of the damage.

"Looks like Assassin was right. Someone got here before us." Saber states.

I stand less than ten feet from the entrance. If Sasaki **was** here, he'd be cutting me in half by now.

And yet, there wasn't a response by any other defensive measure.

"Look at the battle damage in the area. Do either of you see what I see?" I ask the others as I noticed a detail.

"... It's mostly in front of the gate?" Emiya noticed.

"Good. What else?"

"... It's all beam damage. Even the damage on the gate itself." Saber realized.

True to her words, the temple had been scorched. Not simply broken like one would expect of any of the brute force Servants. That, and most of the scorched lines seemed almost even. Showing a high degree of control, and mastery of their ability.

"And do any of the Servants we've fought use beams?" I phrase this as rhetorical.

We've fought, or seen everyone except Caster. The damage here just doesn't match anyone.

"Must've been pretty one sided then. Other guy woulda been wiped." Shirou theorizes.

"Then why hasn't Caster challenged our approach?" Saber asks the pointed question.

If she won, like the beam damage would indicate, why wasn't she out fighting us off too?

With no further observation, I walk my way through the gate-

**bzzzt**

The familiar sensation of static electricity tingles over me as I enter. It's… weaker than expected.

I give the environment a cursory glance.

Still, nothing.

"... Alright, come on in. Watch yourselves though. The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend." I invite the others in.

"True dat." The blonde knight comments.

"Fou!" The white furred creature jumped off my shoulder, and pointed something out.

The snow appeared disturbed in a one way track. New layers only barely covering the track, as well as some black feathers.

Reminding myself she could basically fly, I realized Caster must've rushed from point A to point B.

That and-

"With this weather, whatever happened here happened at **most** half an hour ago." I say with unfounded confidence in my detective skills.

The snow trail leads around a corner. One that could be flanked.

"You lot follow that trail directly. I'll flank from the other end." I plan before marching off on my own, Fou climbing up on me once again. The others did not object.

I clear a path alone. Okita nearby, but not **close** close.

..

..

..

".."

I turn around.

… nothing.

Strange… something was…

No. I was hearing things.

…

…

"**..**"

**No**! Something is **definitely** breathing!

It was strained, like they were having problems with the action. But… why would-

**"..."**

"**Show yourself**!" I demand.

"Fou!" The squirrel creature seems to have noticed it too.

Again silence.

_"Define Real."_

I ready to defend myself.

…

"(yer startin' ta lose it rob…)" I let my guard down for a moment, and sig-

Gandr ready in hand, I point at the place I **swear** the shadows move.

I shake myself into alertness. Realizing something has to **cast** the shadow, I adjust to point at where the source must've been… still… that's not where the breathing came from...

It was from behind the walls of one of the buildings.

I want to think that it must've been one of the monks here but…

_"Master, what's wrong?" _Okita asks.

_"... Cover me!"_ I follow the shadow.

_"Wha- h-hai!?"_ Assassin was surprised by the change of plans.

I sprint across the snow to round the corner.

"**********...**"

The shadow retreats once more out of sight, and into a building.

I'm on it's tail though. And find myself in front of the door to the building.

"grrrr…" Fou growls at the entrance.

Not wasting time I kick down the door-

**CRASH**

Scanning the room, it seemed the perfect environment for the thing to hide in.

Completely submerged in darkness, it was only illuminated by the poor moonlight I'd let in. The heat escaping quickly as gusts of snow replaced it.

"fou..?" The familiar on my shoulder saw what I didn't. And didn't like what it saw.

I snap my fingers, activating a fire rune, Ahwaz, stitched into my gloves. Turning it on low so it could serve as a makeshift torch.

… it was only about as big as a match, but it was good enough for this.

The fire sparks, and I see-

Blood. **Lots** of blood.

Gandr in one hand, and Ahwaz in another, I track the trail to… to…

god…

_"... Master?"_ Okita's voice snaps me out of it.

_"Y-yeah?"_

_"If you need to step out-"_

_"No. I… I'll deal with it."_ I got myself together, and looked again.

Bodies. Tens of them.

Not **one** breathing.

I walk into the center of the room, and look over them.

They'd been drained of blood. **All** of them. Some looked like they'd been fed to wolves in how… how torn up they were.

Forgetting the shadow for a moment, I tried to find any live ones.

_"Master. They're gone. All of them."_ Okita told me even in an even tone.

I stopped myself from testing ones pulse at the news.

I… I met this one, didn't I?

"Orso, where'd you go?"

Someone called me from outside the building but… I wasn't focused on that.

_"His name… what was his name?"_ It was… weird. I… it felt **wrong** that I forgot this kid's name. Improper I guess.

"You guys might want to stay back." Okita talked to the voice.

_"It's… it's a shame, ya know? Seemed like… like a good guy…"_ I stand up, and look around at the dead again.

**Why** is this bothering me? It's… not the first time I've seen people die, right?

"Alrighty Bats, what's..! … oh." Someo- Shirou bursts in, and notices the problem.

"..." I don't speak. I only watch.

No one says anything for a minute. But then Shirou looks around, soon coming around to the guy I met.

"... Issei…" he mutters the students name.

"It looks like they got hit by a vampire." Okita notes.

"Wouldn't they be rising up as ghouls then?" Saber rejected the theory.

"... We'll… **I'll** call Kirei when this is over. He'll... **take care** of… all this…" I try to think this through. "Meantime, let's find the bastard responsible."

"Don't worry Issei. I'll avenge you all." Shirou swore to his deceased classmate.

"Did… you guys find anything at the end of the trail?" I asked of Saber.

"It's best you see for yourself." She guided us out.

Walking back out into the night, the knightly Servant lead us to our previous destination.

"_… Well… we can write Caster off the list of suspects."_

Kazuki's dead.

Back against the wall, blood spilling from his chest. Left hand missing. Likely to have been visited by scavengers already if the black feathers surrounding him are to be believed.

Approaching the corpse, I can't help but wonder one thing.

"What the **hell** happened here?"

No one can give me an answer.

Standing before the Drama teacher, I lean in and check his remaining hand.

No command seals.

"Whoever killed him did it for the seals." I say matter of factually.

Someone tried stealing a Servant.

Some small part of me was amused.

If that was their goal, they certainly chose a poor target.

Caster would **never** obey anyone that wasn't Kazuki. Hell, if **anything** they weren't so much Master and Servant, as much as they were husband and wife.

Assuming anyone could get far enough to steal the seals, her Rule Breaker meant there was no real use for them.

So, the question remains-

"Who could've-?"

**WHOOSH!**

"**Fuck**! Get **off** me!" The damn 'corpse' grabbed, and is now crushing my arm!

The pseudo corpse twists it's head to glare at me with **bloodshot** eyes.

"**Damndable vultures! Damndable crows!** Is th're one depravity this temple shall beest spared? Can none of thee seeth yond this is how it shalt endeth? Thy struggles pointless, thy desires did crush? We... We couldst has't ceased this damn'd war. My lady couldst has't done it..." The man cursed us. Before loosening his grip, and lamenting his fate.

"Of loveth and life, I am **not** afraid of death. Only sorrowed by the departure of the one that gaveth this life it's meaning. I walketh into the night, knowing I marched to **oblivion** in a manner unlike mine own life. I hath lived a tool, and a fool. But I shalt die spitting in the eye of fate. At the moment of its discovery, the accursed worms plan was executed, and all was lost. Mine own love, mine own light, died for an unworthy man. All for a **nothing**." he coughed up blood, and his eyes showed he neared the end.

"And thus, I abandon the mortal coil… to love… and to lose… **nevermore**…" the drama teacher stopped breathing, he let go of my arm, and the light in his eyes left him.

…

…

"Fou…" the familiar sounded sad to see him go.

"He died as he lived." Okita states.

"... incomprehensible?" Emiya guessed.

"Scaring the shit out of me?" I make my own.

"I was gonna say "enigmatically", but those work too." she realizes.

"... I guess we can assume Caster's been eliminated?" Saber moved us along.

"Her Master's dead… but their command seals are gone."

"Wait… how do you know he was their Master? … or that Caster was a woman?" Emiya asks a… fair question.

One which I only answer with a raised eyebrow.

"... **right…** and you're **totally** not Batman…" he sighs.

"I think we're done here. Whatever happened, happened a while ago." Saber notes.

"... Fine. Let's go." I'll look more into it later.

Right now… I guess we just gotta let Kirei do his job?

Everybody takes one last look around before moving back to the gate.

Unlike everyone else however, I stop when I notice something.

"(nevermore…)" I take one of the black feathers off the ground and examine it.

No doubt, this was a crows feather… or possibly…

Another gust of snow wisps around my frame, and buried the other pieces of evidence.

"Master?" Okita looks back after realizing I'd fallen behind.

"... nothing." I store it away as I follow the group again.

I make it to the gate before I take one more look back.

…

"..."

I know.

I **know**, we were being watched.

With that, we left the temple behind.

With far more **questions** than **answers**.

* * *

…..

…..

…..

….

….

….

…

…

..

.

_"seNpAi?"_

* * *

_End Theme- This Illusion (LiSA)_


	15. Tension Rising

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Y'know, you'd think with the pandemic going on, and the quarantine, I'd spend a lot more time on this, and get more done. But, apparently ****no****. I'm stuck with the attention span of a horrible genetic experiment involving a goldfish, and a honeybee.**

**Welp, the people have spoken. ****Overwhelmingly**** in fact. It'll be a long way off, and will probably have to undergo a few canon touches, but Chaldea is Orso's fate now. **

**So, without further ado, let's get there yeah?**

* * *

_Chapter XV- Tension Rising_

_Date: 02/04/2004_

_Time: 1:27 am_

_Location: Emiya Household._

* * *

"Well, that was a thing." the resident hero of justice stated the obvious.

Not long after we got back, the alliance assembled around the living room table.

"Kotomine just got back to me. He says he'll sort things out, and call if he finds anything interesting… but God knows what that man finds "interesting"." I started the debrief. "Meantime, let's recap. Starting off, to state the obvious, shit just went down."

"We don't know if Caster is still around or not. The fact that "Kazuki" was missing a hand indicates he **was** her Master. So it's possible she's working with someone else now." Okita continued.

"That, or she's dead, and someone ran off with the command seals." Saber countered.

"And let's not forget the… the bodies." Emiya grimaced, "Why would anyone do that?"

"I've got at least one theory about that." I mention.

It was something I'd thought about on the way home. I couldn't get my mind off of the scene so… I just looked at it from an analytical angle.

"It's possible the culprit needed Mana. A **lot** of Mana. One of the main methods of transferring Mana is blood transfusion. That would explain why the bodies were drained of blood, but not what it was used for."

"Perhaps Caster needed Mana quickly?" Saber theorized.

A fair assumption.

"So quickly she had the time to drag all the monks into one room and drink them?" Okita rejected the idea.

"So it probably happened after the battle." Saber thought aloud.

I thought about it myself, and couldn't think of a reason why Caster would do that. Why would she need **that** much Mana **that** quickly after the battle? She could just as easily spend time gathering mana from the leylines later.

…

None of this added up.

"(There's a new player in the game…)"

"Master?" Okita heard me.

I hesitate to answer. It's flimsy but…

"... none of the Servants we know that **could** attack Caster can do it without leaving a trace. Berserker, Lancer, Archer? I'll betcha a command seal those guys are leaving a crater or two every major battle. Rider's dead. And I can't see why Caster would do this to herself. So unless one of **us **has been **very** busy while the others weren't looking…"

"You believe someone who wasn't a Master, or a Servant did it?" Saber seemed to be debating the logic with herself.

"Not a Master this morning. Tonight?" I ask rhetorically.

"Who could steal a Servant and get away with it?" Shirou asked.

…

I briefly thought of Kirei. But reject the idea. He's already powering two Servants. Besides, it's too early for him to make a move like that.

Who else has the power, and reason to do this?

…

* * *

"_-there __**is **__no heir to the Makiri. This war is to be our last."_

"_to be our last."_

"_**to be**__."_

* * *

"Master?" Okita sees me thinking.

I hesitate to answer.

"... I think I've got a suspect. No hard proof, just speculation, but I can't think of anyone else who could fit the bill… Zouken Matou."

"The old guy?" Shirou sounded surprised.

"Looking at this critically, Zouken Matou is supposedly an incredibly ancient, and powerful magus. So, he's probably got the skill, and power to pull something like this off. As for **why**, he said it himself, this war is to be his family's last shot at the Grail, and I doubt he'd just give up after Shinji put on such a shameful display. So he's got a motive. Like I said, there's no hard proof just yet but… this is where the signs point to." it's not that far fetched.

There could be another culprit, one I don't know about. But, in absence of that, Zouken is highly suspect.

Still… that doesn't take Caster into account. I doubt she'd work with anyone besides Kazuki. And with Rule Breaker? Why would she **willingly **go with Zouken?

We're still missing something.

"Whether it's him or not, we've got a Servant that's MIA, and a new individual, or group of individuals that can tango with a Caster Servant in their own territory. Someone not above complete slaughter. I reckon we can all agree that this just became a priority?" I sum everything said so far up.

"**Agreed**."

The group announced their decision.

"Tomorrow I'm going back to the temple. See if there's anything we missed." I state where my investigation will lead.

"Wouldn't Kotomine have cleaned the place up by then?" Shirou points out.

I grimace at my mistake. Having already contacted Kotomine when we got back.

It was a very short, businesslike conversation, unlike the usual.

At the very least he takes this part of his job seriously.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's a big temple, and not that much time. Worst case scenario, I'll just end up asking him some questions. It'll be like pulling teeth, but I think I can persuade him to cooperate if the situation is bad enough." I reason.

"The entire population of Ryuudou Temple is currently painting their floorboards an ugly shade of red.** It's bad enough**." Shirou affirms.

"Believe me Master when I say it could be much **much** worse." Saber seems to recall something disturbing.

"How exactly?" Shirou seems to object.

"This Caster has yet to summon Cthulhu."

…

…

"... so, yeah. See you all tomorrow morning." I leave for bed on that note.

"Yeah, sounds good." Emiya suddenly seemed content in this scenario.

* * *

_Theme Song- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

_I waited._

"_Where were you?"_

_For __**so long **__I waited here. _

_And eventually, I became... lonely._

_Once upon a time, I believed I could never achieve that._

_A small part of me seemed to experience a sad joy I could connect with humanity in that way._

"_We __**needed **__you. Where did you go?"_

_I opened my eyes. No matter how long I slumbered, I always awoke here._

_A gentle gale, a promise of never ending *******_

_An Eternal Ataraxia _

_One might think they were dead. This was heaven._

"_Where were you when we- … when __**I **__needed you the most?"_

_In a way, both were true._

_But what is heaven to a devil?_

* * *

_10:06 am..._

"'gasp'!"

"Mast-"

**WHACK!**

FFFFfffffffuuuuu**uuccccckkk!**

"owww…." A familiar voice moaned in pain.

"Ah… ugh… sorry uh… Okita?" I groan as I take in the identity of the one who's head mine clashed with.

"I-It's fine!?" she stuttered out, adjusting to the new bump on her head.

The hell?

"What happened? Why were you that close?" I asked, noticing that I must've gotten myself bruised too.

Okita suddenly paused, and looked away.

"It was getting late into the morning so I decided to check in on you." She explained. "You were uh… mumbling in your sleep. It sounded like you were having a nightmare. I tried waking you up, but you wouldn't."

"Okay… but why was your head that close to mine?" Seemed a bit off...

"I was about to get help when your forehead met mine." she continued.

"So we're just... ignoring my question now? Is that what we're doing?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Seriously, are you okay? None of that seemed normal." My Servant worried for me.

"... I'm fine. Just a bad dream." I give a fake smile before getting up. "C'mon. Need to come up with a game plan with Shirou for today."

"Sounds like a good idea… although maybe we should wait until later…" Okita looks off in the direction of Emiya's room.

"I'm compelled to ask "why?"."

"... well…"

* * *

"My body... is trying... to die…" Emiya breathed out, looking like hell, on his futon.

"Oh please, it's only 37.6. Sakura's got it worse, and you don't hear her complaining." Taiga told him off after reading the thermometer.

"Get gud scrub." the purple haired creature in question remarked. With her fever having **mostly** subsided by this morning.

It's all I can do to not sigh in exasperation.

_"Why do each of my allies have constitutions of paper-mache?"_ I ask the roof.

"'**ACH**'!"

Okita almost collapsed after spontaneously coughing up blood into her sleeve… again.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, causing my Servant to retreat behind me bashfully.

"... I'm going to go take a vitamin…" Taiga added, suddenly nervous about her health. Not that I blame her.

"... Make that two." Saber followed her, seeming to now be under the impression that the disease could affect Servants.

That left me, Shirou, Sakura, and Assassin to stand around.

…

…

"So, I'll just…um… talk to you later? … bye." le awkward exit.

I moved back into the living room, Okita close behind, and heard the TV.

_"-situation is still developing, however, we have received reports that while the clown __**will**__ survive, he'll never walk again. Many an eyewitness say he deserved what happened, considering the orientation of the goat. In this reporter's opinion, Chuckles is lucky this wasn't his last laugh." The reporter… reported from a currently burning Dairy Queen with a blood covered antique car jammed into it._

"(what the hell is going on in this city...?)" Even Taiga sounded exasperated.

_The scene changed back to the studio._

_"Thank you Satō." LK thanked his colleague before turning to the audience. "Breaking News on another developing story this morning, as it appears the entire population of a local Temple has gone missing? With more information we go to a scarry exchange reporter from America, Ollie Williams. Ollie?"_

...what?

_Scene changed to the building the bodies were in last night._

_"THEY GONE!" a large black man shouted._

_Studio guy cringed at the volume change before asking-_

_"Where to Ollie?" _

_"THEY DEAD!"_

_"Why do you think that Ollie?" _

_"LOSSA BLOOD!" he stood aside to show the bloody scene behind him. "I'M SCARED!"_

… did Kirei fuck up?

Wasn't he supposed to clean this up?

Granted, there's no bodies lying around, but with the blood that just raises **more **questions.

_"Me too. Get back safe Ollie!"_

_"... fuck."_ Was all I think.

"All those people…" Taiga paused at the event.

_Thinking about it, she probably knew people there._

...

...

"..." Sakura watched with an unreadable expression.

I clenched my fist.

_"I will find them. And I'll make them pay."_ I swore.

* * *

_11:47 am..._

"At this point Emiya, I don't think you have a choice." I expressed my opinion to the Master currently sprawled out on his futon.

"Cannn sty hre. HERO don gets si… si… **sick**." he complains.

I sigh. Near as I can tell, he must've caught a one day cold from Sakura, and it's hitting hard. He told me that he never gets sick, so I suppose it makes sense that the one time he does he wouldn't really be prepared for it.

"Well clearly they do. If whatever this is has you delirius to the point where you can't form coherent words, you should quarantine yourself until it passes. Steel constitution or not. If it weren't for the fact that I'm trying to stop a murderer, I'd stick **myself** in my room until I was sure I wasn't one myself."

"hou mat?" he mumbled out.

"Infectious disease kills more than 17 million people a year Shirou. What kind of idiot would it make me if I ran around **knowing** I could be exposing countless vulnerable people to a clearly debilitating illness?"

"'ACH'!"

"S-Souji?! Are you dying!?" Taiga panics.

"c-**constantly…** I'll be fine… a little tuberculosis never killed any- 'BLEH'!"

**thud**

"... so if she dies, one could say she's not going to eat that, right?" Saber asked carefully.

"... she just coughed up blood, and you want to eat her food?" Sakura sounded somewhat disgusted.

"Back home we called it an iron supplement." she must be referring back to Medieval times when they did not understand how disease works.

"... sure, go right ahead." the violet haired girl seemed to stop caring.

...

"... Yeah… look, I'll be back in an hour or two, try not to die. If you need anything, let Sakura know." I leave the room.

I suppose it wouldn't really matter in the end. I can't imagine Shirou having the detective skills to be of much use tracking down the killer anyway. If anything he'd be at school during the day, pretending all was normal.

Thankfully, that's what I've got a police girl for. That is, if the Shinsengumi weren't just over glorified thugs.

_"You Monster there, please stop! How fast do you think you can walk?" A certain special police officer ordered a girl clinging on to a monster for dear life._

I raised an eyebrow at my Servant's choice in show at the moment.

"(Gintama..?)" I mutter.

"Is that what this is?" my Servant asked, cleaning the blood from her mouth with a handkerchief, "I was just surfing during a commercial when I found myself oddly transfixed here."

_"Does it look like I'm going for a walk stupid!? You're an idiot! A big idiot!" the girl yelled back._

_"In that case I shall arrest you on charges of disturbing the peace. You have hurt the police officers heart." He responded calmly._

"... Okay, well… be ready to move. We're Oscar Mike in ten." I switch to serious mode, but end up interrupted by someone I hadn't noticed was there.

"So, is there like… a **reason** why you occasionally talk like you're a part of Seal Team Six, or…" Sakura pops up from the kitchen.

I freeze in surprise, then try to think of a clever response quickly.

"Well… um… If I told you, I'd have to kill you?" not **un**true…

"Bold of you to assume I want to live." She responded.

"... Fair enough?" I hate that that's a mood I can identify with sometimes… "'sigh', look, I'll be out for a bit on… let's call it "business". Watch over Shirou, don't let him do anything…"

"Shirou?" she provided the adjective.

"Yeah, that."

"He's not… **that **bad." Saber tried defending him.

The look of 'you sure about that?' Sakura, and I shared at Sabers expense silenced her.

"And get well yourself..." I say before I get ready to leave.

* * *

_POV shift- Third Person..._

_Emiya Residence…_

"_Well… if nothing else, we're on a similar wavelength?"_ the Matou girl tried looking for a silver lining here.

To be honest, when this group of foreigners showed up in Shirou's house, she didn't really have anything positive to say.

Because it was obvious what they were here for.

To say the Grail War was responsible for most of the problems in her life would be the understatement of the millennium. So she was not expecting much good to come from someone that came here specifically to fight, and kill for a damn cup.

For at least a day, she hated that Mage, Orso, because as far as she could tell, he'd roped Shirou into the Grail War. The very **last **thing she'd want him involved **in**.

Granted, she'd met him a day ago, and has only** just now** spoken to her, but **so far** he hasn't gone out of his way to treat her like garbage, so that automatically makes him one of the best people she's ever met that uses magecraft.

Statistically, that probably says more about **her **than **him**.

But despite willing herself into at least **trying** to believe he had good intentions, she quietly found herself hoping he'd just leave and take the war with him.

However, she realized there was **one **thing she took guilty pleasure of, **partly **thanks to the war.

She moved into the room Shirou was laying in with a thermometer and a fresh towel, and grew the smallest of smiles. Right now, if only for a moment, she could take care of him. Like those days barely a year ago.

Back then, when, without realizing it, he'd extended a lifeline to her. Though she didn't really deserve it.

She knew that these days would be coming to an end soon. But… for a while, it felt good to pretend… to **believe **she could find some measurement of happiness in the world.

Then again, she imagined her Senpai's position. The parts of him she admired are exactly the kind of traits that would get him into trouble like this no matter who was involved. The way he just… accepts people. How he just **won't **give up, **especially **if others need him. His naive, stupid, stubborn... **beautiful **idea of becoming a hero… he couldn't possibly ignore something like the Grail War.

It frustrated her to no end but…

The more she thought about it, she found herself blaming the foreign Mage less and less.

… although, if he got Shirou killed, she'd settle on hating him too.

* * *

_12:24 am..._

_Ryuudou Temple…_

The weather had cleaned up since last night. The cloudy gray sky being occasionally broken up by rays of sun poking through, shining down on the forsaken temple grounds.

This is where I found myself once again, wondering just where to start.

Having used a spell that concealed my presence to the local police investigating the area, I step through the (still damaged) entrance, and look around. Tracks, and all evidence we were here before had been covered by snow. Immediately dampening hopes of finding new clues.

"Alrighty gang, let's split up and search for clues!" I remark.

"Pfft, sure thing Velma." Okita says before wandering off.

"Fou…" Squirrel creature #1 adds before climbing up on my shoulder.

I think for a moment before deciding to start where we left off.

Kazuki's gone. Likely having been hauled off by Kotomine by the time MILF showed up.

The place was lousy with various crime scene investigators. Ones I really felt sorry for. Given the probable culprit, these guys were probably better off back at the station.

"-don't think so.." an older woman theorizes.

"You got something Tanaka?" a younger individual, likely a protege, picks up on her tone.

"The way the blood was smeared. The victims were dragged **into **the building, but never **out**." she analyzes.

"And we've searched this place inside and out since we got here…" the younger investigator adds. "... maybe the perp bagged 'em up or something? Carried them out without a trail?"

"One individual killing, and dragging around that many people in one night?" another, shorter male added, and calculates, "They'd still be here about noon **tomorrow**."

"So, you think there's more than one?" the younger one carries on.

"Gotta be. Dogs woulda found something by now if they were tossed, or buried nearby." the short guy refers to the nearby K-9 unit.

"And since most of the people here were martial artists of some ability, we can assume the perps were armed."

"And if we ask the gate, heavily so." the younger man adds.

"Oh yeah, and there's **that **elephant in the room. It looks like a goddamned warzone out there! Who the hell's got that kinda firepower out here anyway?" short man adds

"Dunno. Sure as hell wasn't **legal**, whatever it was. And knowing him, Ragia wouldn't **sell **anything like it either. Especially if he knew it was going to someone that would do something like **this**. Him and Ryuudou were friends, if I'm not mistaken. So it probably came from out of the city…which raises a whole **other **set of questions."

I chose to stop listening at this point, and focus on something else.

Short guy's got a point. There's a massive elephant in the room. Kirei was supposed to clean this place up last night. He should be here right now, come to think of it. What was going on?

"That sounds out of your jurisdiction."

Ah… speak of the devil.

The fake priest steps into the room, seemingly unnoticed by the investigators.

"...man, we're really out of our depth here…" the young man drones.

"Do you really want to go looking for such a heavily armed person?"

"... I guess it's not like we've got any leads here…"

Hypnosis. Gotta be.

"You want to bury this. Pretend it never happened."

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" short guy asks.

"... yeah. We ain't paid enough for this shit." The woman adds.

It was at this point when Kirei noticed my presence, and gestured for me to follow him.

_"Found Kirei. Rally on me."_

_"Roger."_ My Servant replies.

_"Find anything interesting?"_ I ask.

_"Well…"_

* * *

Okita looked around the room. Taking note of it's… oddities.

In particular, the various... 'merchandise'.

"... I'm beginning to think Shirou might've had some… competition?" the assassin informs her Master, taking an incomplete figurine in her hand. One that, while incomplete, was still recognizable, with a vaguely familiar form.

_"... competition?"_

Being less careful than she probably should have, the figurine's ahoge snaps off.

The tiny piece falls, and lands at the feet of a figurine wearing a frilly dress. However… this one… while **similar**, was **not **of the **Saber **Servant.

"... starting to get creeped out here…."

* * *

_"... leave it be for now and watch my back please." _not feeling particularly interested in what stands out to a manslayer as being 'creepy'.

In about thirty seconds, me and Kirei were isolated in a side room of the temple.

"So… Kirei? You consider this, "sorted out."?" I start.

"It's a matter of perspective really." Kirei answers. "Do they think something happened? Yes. Is **magic **something that will come up in their investigation?"

"The entire population of Ryuudou just "vanished", leaving behind a kiddy pool's worth of blood. **People are going to start asking questions**. And when they don't get answers-"

"Um... Rob? Maybe it's time I **explained** something..." Kirei seemed to be trying to contain an outburst. "All I'm required to do is conceal proof of magic from the general public. If people want to draw conclusions from a puddle of blood, if there is no **Mana** in it, It's **not my job **to deal with it. The massacre at Ryuudou is, and shall remain, just another mysterious tragedy ordinary people will **never** know the truth about."

That's…

"And regardless, the local law enforcement had already reported back by the time I'd gotten here-"

… what?

"- and it's not like I could cover up an **entire temple** going missing witho-"

"Wait- **go back**! You said the **cops** got here before **you** did?"

"Correct."

"... how exactly? How would they know something happened before anyone could have called them in?"

If one of the monks somehow managed to as everything happened, the cops would have been there before **I **arrived, so who would have called them?

"Someone trying to keep me very busy." Kirei arrived at an answer quickly. "My duties as overseer take time. And the more time I spend babysitting, the less I'll spend watching the war for anyone breaking the rules."

I look at a gathering of investigators outside, and realize it myself.

"They didn't kill the monks **just** for Mana, they were killed as a distraction…" What's the phrase? 'while the cat's away, the mice will play'? The overseer can either watch the investigation, or watch the war… "And I'm guessing they wouldn't do this if they didn't plan on breaking the rules?"

"Someone's getting one hell of a Grail War citation for this…" Kirei seemed annoyed at the attempt.

… opportunity, I hear you calling.

"And I think we know who exactly to write up…"

"Oh, do you now?"

"Matou Zouken. He's the culprit for this." I sound sure of it.

Kirei grows a frown. Upset by the accusation

"I take it you're not a big fan of his?" I observe.

Kotomine actually hesitates, frustrated at something before continuing.

"Do you have any **proof** of his involvement?"

"I've got something better than proof! Pure suspicion based on circumstantial evidence, and a poor choice of words on his part!"

I explain our theory about the walking morgue.

* * *

"Well, that'll do." The priest sounded satisfied.

"... really?" Wow, that worked?

"The Church has burned for less." he shrugs. "If you're wrong, I'm certain few in the Clocktower would miss him, or notice his absence."

Huh. Sounds more like he's looking for an excuse more deeply than **I** am.

This has gotta be personal…

"So, what'll you do about this interference?" I ask.

"For the moment, nothing. If Matou Zouken has truly stolen a Servant, he is awarded the same protections as any **other** Master. Technically, the deaths of a few Monks by themselves are not cause for concern among Magi, or the Church. However, his attempt to cause a distraction here indicates he will attempt something against the rules in the future. Don't get me wrong, even as a priest, I have little love for that man, but as overseer there are certain procedures that must be followed, **without **exception."

"So, in short, until he does something, you're standing aside?" I grow frustrated.

"Essentially. Bare in mind however, he's **on notice**. Though the moonlit world is cruel, and punishing, there are rules we **all **must abide to remain a part of it. Rejoice, for his time is nigh, and when he is judged, he will be found wanting." he condemns the old man.

"You sound all but certain of that Kotomine. In fact, you almost sound spiteful. Rather out of character for a priest, no?"

"To be honest, I think we're both aware by now I'm far from the Lord's most Saintly creations. However… Matou Zouken's existence makes me **physically ill**."

"Yeah, I could **smell **what you mean…" 1/10, would **not **recommend standing downwind of him.

"Oh, it is **much **more than his **odor **that revolts me… but that's not what's important here." he tries to bring us back on topic, "What **is **important is that **you **be ready."

"Ready for what exactly?"

Kotomine seemed annoyed I didn't catch his meaning right away.

"Let's just say that I, as overseer, am in a unique position in that I get to reward Masters for compliance. When the time comes, position yourself so it is **you **that receives this boon, and I may feel encouraged to… compensate you further for your supplying me with an opportunity to remove a particularly troublesome **thorn** from my side." he conspires with me.

'Find Zouken red handed, kill him, get two command seals' is what I'm hearing?

The bag of worms must've really pissed this guy off…

It almost makes me hesitate before I remember my own words last night-

'The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend'

They might be enemies, but that does not make Zouken a good guy.

Besides, having not spent one command seal yet puts me in a powerful position to begin with. If I gained two more..? Assuming I don't lose any in the process that is...

After all, if Caster didn't clearly win in her own territory, it can't be that simple.

Actually, that begs another question-

"Fair enough. But, to be clear, there is one thing I want to know."

"I will answer what I can."

"How would Zouken pull this off in the first place? If he did take Caster, I don't want to walk into the same issue." it's a legitimate concern.

Caster would not join Zouken. Not willingly. **Not **after Kazuki was killed. And beyond that, assuming Zouken pulled an Uno Reverse Card and stole Caster, she should (in theory) have just the tool she needed to set herself free.

She couldn't be convinced, she couldn't be forced, she probably couldn't even be beaten outright.

And yet, she's not standing here right now.

So, how did he do it?

Or, to be more accurate-

What **did **he do?

I don't want to lose Okita.

She's a pillar of positivity holding up my already fragile sanity in this **literal **parody of a world.

"I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine. As the head of the Matou bloodline however, one could assume Zouken has hidden a few secrets about Servants, and the Grail War under his skin for some time, it's possible he found a weakness only a founder of the ritual could know about or exploit." Kirei theorizes.

Damn… this guy is sounding more dangerous by the minute.

Though it's good to confirm he was a founder of the Grail War, it's **definitely **bad for my health if he truly is my enemy.

If he helped build the thing, he'd know the Grail War ritual inside, and out.

Secrets and cheats, once lost to time, being used to hack the war? There's no telling what he could do! Extra command seals, Servant power boosting, and a better understanding of how Servants even work to begin with, just to name a few ways they could game the system… and I'll bet good money he's the type that wouldn't care if he were aware of the Grail's corruption.

-come to think of it, he's probably well aware of that already.

"(Great… gotta beat a dev at his own game…)"

"_Master?"_ Okita overheard.

"_It's fine. He messes with the best, he'll fall like the rest." _I say, confidently.

"_Right!"_ my Servant cheered.

"So, you plan to take on the head of the Matou family?" Kirei questioned.

"If we have to, yeah. I'd prefer to have some actual **evidence **before I make an enemy like that… which is kinda why I came here to begin with… speaking of evidence, where'd you put the bodies?" I doubt **I'll **find anything **he **didn't, bu-

"What bodies?"

"... the monk bodies?" no reaction, "The ones that were in that room last night?" again, no sign of recall, "...the ones you hid because… magic?"

"When would I have the time to do that?" he questions.

…

"... so, you're saying **you **didn't move the bodies?"

"Why in god's name would I? They already knew about the incident," he gestures to the investigators, "What would hiding the bodies accomplish besides raising **more **questions?"

I feel as though the gravity just doubled…

"We… we may have more than one issue here..."

* * *

_2:14 pm..._

_Orso's Miyama Warehouse Base..._

**Pew!**

A thick sheet of metal singed as a new, two inch wide, hole was burnt through it.

Not quite good enough…

I take a breath, and fire again-

**pew**

I almost growled as this one kinda stuttered out at the end.

No matter what I do, my Gandr seems to be rather inconsistent in its ompf. It won't be much help to me if I run into any serious issues.

Then again, to be fair, Rin (my benchmark for good Gandr) has had her entire life to get gud at this. I've had about a month. I guess I should be happy I've gotten this far…

Point is, it's becoming more, and more clear I'll never make up that gap in time, so I need something else.

After leaving Kirei to deal with the Temple situation, I ended up feeling a bit… lost.

I didn't have any leads on Zouken. With Shirou sick, and Saber watching over him, I didn't have the brawn to barge down the Matou households front door looking for answers.

Low on options, I decided to make a little detour, and found myself back at home base. Trying to think of new ones.

But, I was stuck. With roadblock after roadblock, it continued to become painfully obvious that my half-assed crash-course in magecraft could only carry me so far in this little time.

Though I could probably purchase the materials I needed to further my education, and help me figure out where I'd best apply my focus, there was the issue that I didn't know **where** to do so, or **what** I would need exactly.

And even if I knew those things, I'm still in the **middle** of the Grail War, so getting them would have to wait anyhow.

Shirou barely knows as much as I do, so even if he **wasn't** experiencing a plague coma at the moment, he'd be of little help.

**Point is**\- I'm in a bit of a fucked position magecraft wise.

So, what's a prospective magic user to do?

…

"...maybe…" maybe I've been using the wrong example.

Rin Tohsaka has been training to excel in her magecraft for **years**. Along with having a powerful family bloodline, and magic crest. Even assuming I'm naturally predisposed to using magecraft that's similar to hers, whatever half assed curse I could come up with just **isn't capable **of surpassing the original it was based on.

So, **why even try**?

An idea is formed.

Using another baseline, we look to Emiya Shirou. His Magnum Opus to magecraft is a statement in direct contradiction to the aforementioned belief. His world of endless blades flips the idea on its head.

A fake doesn't **need **to surpass the original... if it does the same job as well as it needs to.

I **can't **project legendary blades. My only attempt at the craft in the past did **not **hold up to pressure.

_Imagine making a knife that butter could cut…_

But… that's just it isn't it?

What's the old phrase? 'Speak softly, carry a big stick'?

In that regard, as long as they see you having a big stick, does it matter if it would snap upon contact?

I grow a small grin.

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a **genius** idea, but it's a start…

* * *

_4:23 pm..._

_Miyama Park..._

"_That went… surprisingly well." _I realize, despite the several hour long affair.

'_Surprisingly well' for you is only __**slightly **__burning something._

Okay, by that standard, it went Spankasstastically super-dee-duper great!

_Speaking of, given your predisposition to accidentally setting fire to anything you try doing for the first time, I think we can safely establish your element as either 'fire', or 'disaster'._

… I'm not **that **bad.

Anyway, we were on our way back to Emiya's after a long day of experimenting with another school of magecraft when-

"_Master."_

I nearly trip as my Servant calls out to me, and find my balance as Fou seems to appear out of nowhere on a nearby bench.

"_What's up?"_ she's been largely quiet since the Kirei affair.

"_I've been thinking about our situation, and I think I have an idea that could be helpful in tracking down Zouken, and Caster."_ Assassin comes up with something.

"_Well, shoot."_

"_At least a few times now, I've revealed my coat, and no one seems to have figured out my identity. Or, at least, no one seems to care. So, I think it might be time to call on the Shinsengumi."_ she suggests.

I pause to give it some thought.

As a police organisation, tracking down killers is basically their job description. They could serve as eyes, and ears throughout the city, and extra hands when the need arises. And, as Okita said, if anyone would have gleaned her identity by now they would have done so upon seeing her coat. One of the benefits of obscurity.

My only concern is mana usage. Her Sword skill took energy I only barely had (In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have been so stingy with command seals, even if it seemed a bit early on to use one…), I wouldn't be so confident about prolonged usage of the Flag of Sincerity.

"_... if we don't have Shirou tonight, we'll give it a shot. Having a small army as backup is a card I'd rather keep close to my chest. Still, I guess it's about time we stress tested this thing, yeah?" _

I could feel her smile through the connection.

"_Great! It'll be fun seeing the old gang again! … although maaaaaayybe I should leave Hijikata out of this… your combined sourpuss levels might just collapse Fuyuki into a black hole from which no fun can escape… nah~! It'll be great!"_

"_Sounds like you were good friends." _I note.

"_What can I say? That kind of work, in those times… we were like a family. Besides, would they be part of my Noble Phantasm if we weren't?"_

"_Touche."_

Still, this is quite troublesome. Besides all the previously mentioned issues, I have to bare in mind that we're talking about basically summoning a small Servant army. I suppose I got lucky with Okita, she follows my command without question, and is generally fine with going along with things as they are, **knowing** she won't be getting a real wish out of it.

Would the rest of the Shinsengumi **truly** follow suit?

… no, this is a ridiculous line of thinking. It's like she said. If they wouldn't follow **her** commands at the least, they wouldn't be her Noble Phantasm.

I suppose I'm just doubting my own ability at this point. Nothing newsworthy.

**No**. I **can't** afford to think like that anymore. We're just starting this war. The cloud hanging over me that is self-doubt can only bring ruin.

So, for now I'll keep the battle going the only way I know how- Keeping calm, soldiering on.

It was with this mindset in… mind, that we came across a familiar scene.

We heard it first. Police, and Ambulance sirens declaring an emergency in our way back.

Given what's going on in this city right now, I immediately feared the worst.

Those fears were confirmed as we approached the event, and observed with the gathered crowd, held back by a police barricade, as paramedics were putting two people into body bags.

Two people with **bite marks** on their necks. Just like the monks.

I didn't need to stand watching for long to know what happened here.

_"Master…"_

_"I know."_

What's most concerning, is that this must've happened recently. I.E, in the middle of the day. Confirming the blood sucker in question didn't give a damn about the Grail Wars rules.

This… 'person' had to be found. Before anyone else got hurt.

* * *

_4:24 pm_

_Emiya Residence…_

**Creee…**

The front door announced our return.

"I'm ba-"

**THUD**

"'**Gaha!'**' I nearly stumble as something tackles me.

"**SHIR-** o-oh, it's you…"

"**YOUR LA**\- oh, it's you…"

Hm? Disappointment in stereo?

"Wha-? What are you two doing!?" My Servant demanded on my behalf.

It was then that it registered what was happening.

Saber had tried to trap me in a kabedon at the door, with Sakura in tow.

Both were looking rather upset at something, although Saber, realizing **who** she had trapped, seemed to be having the worst of it.

"M-my apologies…" Saber briefly blushed out of embarrassment as she backed off. "I… **we **thought you were Shirou…"

"That… **doesn't **explain the welcoming committee Sab-" I stop, "He's gone, isn't he?"

"..." the Servant's silence is **very** telling.

"... any idea where he might have gone?" I ready myself for the fetch quest.

"He left a note saying he was food shopping but…" Saber did not sound convinced.

I nod. It sounded suspicious to leave a note when you could just say something. This meant he was trying not to draw attention to himself. **Meaning** he was up to something he probably shouldn't be…

I take note of the fact that it's getting dark out soon. He **really **should know better than to go out on his own like this…

"I'll go check on him…" I resign myself. "If we're lucky, he hasn't managed to get himself into trouble yet."

"Since when were any of us lucky?" Sakura raises an excellent point.

"Do stats count?"

"**Saber**."

"Oh, right! I mean… **statistically speaking**, my streak's been off the hizzy." she corrects her slip of the tongue.

"..." Sakura seemed to be debating with herself whether to say something, apparently noticing something was up with Saber's **airtight** explanation, but settled with sighing, and moving on. "... must be great…"

"Indeed it is." Saber, not reading the room, proudly claims.

I noticed the Matou girl deflate at this, and despite it **probably** not being my business, I ask-

"... you doing okay Sakura?"

She blinked in surprise.

"Ah… yes, I'm fine. What could be wrong?" she stumbled an answer out.

_Oooooh, that's not good._

Yeah? No shit?

It's not necessarily **what** she said, and more **how** she said it.

She's more collected than last time I heard her like this, but the undertone is still clearly there.

Something was **clearly** wrong.

Question is, **what**?

Her mood was shifted by mentioning luck, so maybe she's just having a bad day?

Then again, she **did** look like she was coming down with a case of nurgle's rot yesterday, so that could probably be keeping her down...

* * *

_"N-No. What could p-__**possibly**__ be wrong in this scenario..?"_

* * *

Still, my mind goes back to those words.

Spoken long before she came down the plague, it would seem her mood is a trend rather than an anomaly.

And so, I come to the conclusion she's experiencing some kind of depression.

Which raises the question as to what brought it on.

I then remember the reason why she's even here, and it becomes clearer.

"... things are going to get better soon. I **promise**." and without explaining what exactly I meant, I left the house.

I turned before I could gauge her reaction. If there even was one.

_"Master?" _my Servant proded.

* * *

_"U-Oh! I uh… it's nothing, I just… fell? On some stairs?"_

* * *

_"Sakura Matou is __**not**__ our enemy. I'm certain of that now. Magus or not, she's just another victim."_ I affirm.

With a family like hers, I can't imagine **not** having issues.

Magi aren't exactly beholden to the police, or social services, so people like Shinji, and Zouken are very much allowed to do whatever the fuck they want to people. Even their own family. In this instance, just straight up abuse.

As a result, in a situation like this, the only way to stop them from abusing that power is either convincing them it's against their self interest, or ending it **forcibly**.

And considering Shinji wouldn't even **be **in this war in the** first place** if he didn't have the common sense of a lemming, well…

"_When we're done bringing Shirou back, we'll have to make room on our schedule to pay Shinji a beating. Sound good?"_

"_Do you want him dead, or alive?"_ Okita sounded on board with it.

"_Either, or."_ whichever works.

"_Dead it is."_

* * *

_5:22 pm..._

_Miyama Park…_

"-but Sella thought "body shots" meant something else **entirely**, so 'hehe' she knocked the guys lights out!" Illya laughed at the story, "And when he fell over, he spilled Liz's drink all over somebody! And **you **wouldn't think it at first, but **she's **a quick thinker when she wants to be, so she blamed it on the guy hitting on her. Things went by **quickly **after that, but all I know is that they're, **ironically**, **black**listing **albino's** from Octoberfest in Potsdam."

Shirou couldn't imagine those maids starting a drunken brawl like that. Their charge seemed to give off a refined atmosphere… at least when she wasn't trying to kill you, it seemed unlikely.

Still, he smiled, and laughed along.

He was reluctant at first. But… just hanging out with his sister, forgetting the war for a little while… this was fun.

It didn't feel right not telling Saber, or Orso about this. But he knew they would both reject it. And he felt like he owed it to Illya to at **least **come see her.

After she showed him the way to her castle deep into the woods, he felt as though he'd been granted an entrance into being a part of her life. Something he believed Kiritsugu would have wanted.

And so, though he didn't entirely think of the how's, or the why's, he ended up asking-

"Hey… uh… Illya? It's getting pretty late so do you want to pick this back up at my house tomorrow? It's no castle, but it only seems fair right?"

The girl was surprised at his offer. But took note of how it was getting dark fairly quickly, and decided-

"Yeah, I suppose I can wait to kill you some other time. See you soon brothe-" she paused, and looked out into the park.

"Illya?" Shirou looked in the same direction, but didn't see anything.

"..." the albino loli stared out into the shadows, not saying a word.

Shirou felt the tone shift.

An age old instinct originating from humanities early evolution.

The feeling of being watched by a predator.

Now, a small, 12 year old looking girl being watched from the shadows was concerning under **normal **circumstances.

These were **not **normal circumstances.

Emiya looked for something he could use like one of his pipes.

While searching, he realized that both he, and Illya were completely alone in the park. There wasn't a human in sight.

"Shirou, perhaps it's time we parted ways?" something sounding completely insane escaped his sister.

"Uh, no it is not!?" Emiya, low on options, picked up a particularly large stick.

"_Trace-On!"_

Thankfully, the object chose to co-operate in this instance.

"Uh, yes it is!" Tiny Murder Machine wasn't interested in his heroics at the moment.

Not having any idea what was coming, she doubted he'd make for a decent meatshield anyway if it turned out to be anything dangerous enough to be of concern to her.

Plus, if it was something like a hostile Servant, she'd have to summon Berserker, and **he** wouldn't make any distinction between Shirou, and the enemy in question as he flattened the park.

"No, it's not!"

"Uh, **yes it is**-**!**"

'**fffff' 'fffwosh'!**

The sound was close. But impossible to identify in direction.

Something was slithering out there.

And as Emiya raised his stick to defend his sister-

The park became a battlefield

* * *

_Elsewhere in Miyama…_

My search had been fruitless thus far.

The elusive redhead wasn't on the way home, at the market, or at the closest shop that sold Dango, so he clearly wasn't being truthful.

My current local, a parking lot close to a recently closed department store, was also empty.

I was considering heading back, thinking we may have simply just missed him, when suddenly-

"_Master, act normal, get ready."_ Okita warned me of something, sensing something I didn't.

I tensed, and readied to bolt.

Between the cloud cover, and the winter month, one couldn't be blamed for believing it was already 'night', so a Servant attack wasn't entirely unlikely.

Plus, she **could **be sensing the new player…

"TAKE COVER!"

**slam!**

**CRRRRAAAAAACK!**

I'm pushed behind a vehicle before something breaks the asphalt beneath mee.

**clang!**

**Clang!**

Metal stuck metal as the debris from the initial impact settled, and I could register what had struck us.

A sword was currently dissolving into thin air where I once stood.

I understood what was happening immediately.

As disadvantageous as it was-

**Clang!**

"Master! Orders!?" Okita requested.

Another battle had begun.

* * *

_ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

**See you guys next time! **

**Stay safe out there!**


	16. Duel of the Devils

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello**

**Sorry if this one might seem a bit lower in quality. My computer went and died, so I've been doing all this on my phone. It's a bit more of a pain in the ass, but it gets the job done while I wait for my computer to either be fixed, or replaced.**

**Anyway, let's get goi-...**

…

**You guys hear rumbling?**

* * *

_Chapter XVI- Duel of the Devils_

_Date: 02/05/2004_

_Time: 5:25 pm_

_Location: Miyama, Department Store Parking Lot_

* * *

_ThemeSong- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

**CRASH!**

**CLANG!**

"Master! Orders!?" Okita requested.

Once again caught unprepared, I have to think quickly.

Seeing as what tried to skewer me is a **sword** that dissolved into **blue** particles, I made the assumption that **Archer** was the one taking potshots at me. Not Gilgamesh, thank God.

Okita can at least deal with Archer.

Question is, is he attacking us **independently**, or is this Rin's idea?

"Do you see him?" I inquire.

"nega-"

**CLANG!**

"-tive! I can't track him!" Okita's Mind's Eye must be what's allowing her to detect the incoming projectiles.

"If I give him something else to shoot at, can you track the arrow!?" I formulate an idea.

"What are you-!?"

**clang!**

**Clang!**

**CLANG!**

"Argh, DO IT!"

* * *

_Miyama Skyscraper..._

_"Getting a __**really**__ strange feeling I should be somewhere else right now…" _Archer thought as he fired another nameless blade at the Saber look-alike from the top of a nearby building.

And despite how he'd learned her true name from her blade, he still felt inclined to refer to the manslayer as such. That, and he refused to use the title Rin had come up with.

Regardless, his Master believed otherwise.

_"This is no time for "feelings" Satan! Operation "Baeber Saver" is a-go!" _Rin's voice echoed in his mind. _"(Soon… with this guy out of our way, sweet Baeber will be __**all mine**__!)"_

Being aware of the attacks in the city, Archer couldn't help but question her priorities.

Of course, he tried **voicing** his objection to this, but… well… Once Rin has set her mind to something, getting her to admit she's wrong becomes a war unto itself.

Not that he particularly cared for the Master she wanted dead at the moment. In the end, by allying with his younger counterpart, he's just another obstacle for EMIYA's ultimate goal.

But, if Caster is really drinking bystanders dry, if she's not dealt with quickly, it could grow into something truly troublesome.

And that's another thing. None of what's happening matches his recollection of how Caster acts.

Spying on Shirou's little alliance last night, he saw what they did, and started to become… concerned.

Which loops him back here. As much as he wants his goal achieved, he believed Rin's tunnel vision in regards to trying to take Saber was only going to allow Caster to bite them both in the ass sooner rather than later.

Speaking of tunnel vision, he found a new target in his.

The Master of Assassin was Hussain Bolting from his position behind vehicular cover, and seemed to be planning on retreating into the closed up department store. Having his Servant provide cover.

_"Trace On."_

Almost on instinct, he adjusted his aim, prepared to punish the Master for his recklessness.

**Fwooosh!**

Another nameless blade flew over a mile in a split second. So far from his Servant, the Master never stood a chance.

However, it was in that time Archer realized something.

The Master should have known that too-

Aaaaand he's dead.

…

Yup. Definitely dead.

With the location of the blade protruding from his chest, it was guaranteed his heart was destroyed.

Even if that wasn't so, and Archer's aim was slightly off, the blood sprayed over the parking lot indicated it did the damage it needed to. The force of the blow having knocked him well over 6 meters, as his body slumped over, body twitching.

Assassin was saying something, and though he couldn't hear from where he was, he could tell she was clearly distraught.

The swordswoman ignored him, and rushed over to her dead, or dying Master, and held his bloody hand. Seeming to try and comfort him during the end.

_"... wow. This… is actually kinda morbid."_ Rin actually paused at something.

_"... he... ran out of cover, in the presence of an enemy __**Archer**__ Servant. He had this coming." _Archer cleaned his, and Rin's hands of this mess.

Someone like that had no business in the Grail War.

He sighed. Apparently this had gone nowhere.

_"Let's go. The Assassin will die off on her own soon." _Archer hoped to get them onto the business of dealing with Caster. That, and get Rin's mind off this.

_"... fine. (I'm coming Baeber…)"_ she found the silver lining.

Archer gave the scene one last look, and watched the Assassin dissolve into particles of blue Mana as the Master's hand fell limply while he bled out into the streets, and turned away.

**That** was his first mistake.

His Mind's Eye warned him **just** in time to summon Kanshou-

**CLANG!**

_**"Damnit!"**_ Falchion met Katana as a cold wind picked up that could have knocked a human off their feet.

In the seconds it took for him to turn away, Assassin had cut down a mile's worth of distance between them.

A skill, he'd realized too late.

"**How** are you alive!?" Archer demanded as his enemy came into focus.

Okita Souji did **not** have Independent Action as a skill, of **that** he had felt confident at first.

He'd briefly thought her being an Assassin might grant that ability, but her legend didn't support the theory that she was the kind of person that would receive such a skill. She **barely** qualified for the class to begin with!

Once her Master had died, she should **not** have had the Mana for a skill that would allow her to move this quickly. Her Spirit Origin would have dissipated in the process!

"**Fuck you**, that's how!" Assassin briefly responded before continuing her attack.

**Clang!**

_"Satan, where are you!?"_

**Clang!**

The speed, and ferocity of the Assassin's attack put Archer on the backfoot.

_"'gah'! Assassin isn't dead yet!"_

**CLANG!**

**SHATTER!**

_"I am the bone of-_

_-body and fire-_

_-never hold-"_

Kanshou shattered under the barrage, forcing EMIYA to trace its twin, Bakuya.

He **barely** finished tracing in time to block his opponents overhead strike.

_"__**What**__!? But you killed the Master dead- wait a second…"_

Due to a brief lull in the fighting, Archer's eyes returned to the scene across the city, and noticed the same thing Rin did.

He saw the body, and blood of the Master disappear into a flurry of violet particles.

Archer grimaced. Realizing he'd made a rookie mistake.

_"So he can do illusions..."_

* * *

_Abandoned Department Store..._

_"Since when can you do illusions Master?" _My Servant asked from her battle across the city.

_"Oh… 'bout now-ish. Figured out the basics a couple hours ago. Kinda surprised Archer fell for it to be honest."_ I responded from my hiding place in the abandoned Department Store.

Truthfully, it's pretty easy when you think about it. An illusion is just a projection without form. Against an unsuspecting opponent, it's dangerous, and cost effective.

After the shooting stopped, I ran in here for some temporary cover. A bit surprised at my luck.

_"Well, seemed pretty convincing to me! 'agh'!"_ She strained under some attack. _"I think you got my thighs a little too big though."_

_"To be fair, it __**was**__ my first time making an illusion that big. That, and I purposely avoid looking at your perfectly formed thighs."_

_"-what!?"_

_"What?"_

…

_"So, how're you holding up out there?" _I ask as I round a corner in search of an exit.

_"Wait-! Go back! What'd you say?"_

_"Something that sounded less creepy in my head..?" _yeah, not sure what came over me there…

_You're literally talking __**in**__ your head though…_

_"What's going on out there?"_

_"No, I mean… you…!" _she seemed to wrestle with continuing the subject _"... 'sigh', knowing what to watch out for, I got him outgunned. What's the plan?"_

Plan… right…

We still might have a use for EMIYA. Assuming Shirou is somehow killed, and Archer isn't removed from the space-time continuum due to a temporal paradox, I'll need someone that can deal with Gilgamesh, so killing him isn't **preferable**.

That means it's probably best just to escape and-

**No**, I still need to find Shirou. If Archer's attacking us now, he could be in danger elsewhere. I need to carry on the search, so retreating **isn't** an option.

_"Get him to piss off! Be careful though, this bastard's a crafty one!" _I warn her.

_"Right! Watch out yourself Master! We don't know where his Master is."_

Right… Rin… where is she?

She's a bit more direct than your average Mage, so one would suspect she was nearby…

Either by **Archer** or-

"One HUNDRED percent **MAXIMUM-**!"

"-**Shit**!"

**PEW!**

I ducked behind a service counter just in time to avoid a Gandr blast that asks mine- 'you even lift bra?'.

**PEW!**

**POW!**

**PEW!**

"**NO CHILL!**"

A familiar voice announced their attack before sending a barrage of curses my way!

_"Okay, shit's 'goin down!" _I stated before grabbing the nearest object, and reinforcing it as **far** as it could go.

_"What's going on!?"_

_"Rin's here!"_ I toss the object, a corded phone, in the Magi's general direction, but-

**SLAM!**

**creeeee…..**

Stuck to the wall, it drops about halfway, and crashes into the floor.

**riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing….**

… _wow._

**Shut**. **Up**.

_"__**What**__!? I'm on my way-"_

_"Negative! Archer will tear us both a new one if we let him re-position, and he __**won't**__ fall for the same trick twice! I'll lose her somehow!"_

_"... don't die."_ she warned before continuing her battle.

I rinse, and repeat with a new object- a fire extinguisher.

This hatches an idea.

As I **yeet** the pressurized C02 filled container over the counter, and in the other Master's general direction, I ready a Gandr shot, and peek out of cover-

**PEW**

**CRACKA-BOOM!**

Upon impact with the curse, the extinguisher violently **explodes**, dousing the area in a smokescreen. Obscuring an **already** dark area, as the lights in the building were out.

The smoke won't last long, so I think quick, and run for the nearest escalator.

The plan seemed to work, as I could run up the stairs unaccosted-

_-would now be a bad time to point out you just ran __**upstairs**__? When the only escape would be __**back down**__ through Rin?_

… fuck.

_Congratulations! You played yourself!_

… maybe she assumed I did the smart thing and ran for an exi-

"GET BACK HERE **CLAM-JAMMER**!"

"Well, double fuck."

_She's on your tail! What's the plan Bats?_

Oh, don't **you** start.

_**Seriously**__, you're outgunned, and outmaneuvered. What's next?_

I'll… improvise?

_That does not inspire confidence._

Low on ideas, I decided to just run for it.

I wasn't that high up… so if I found the nearest window, and reinforced myself, I might survive just jumping out.

I'll escape into a crowd. Tohsaka won't chase me if it might reveal magic. She'll have to call Archer off, and we can get back to business.

Based on stats alone, this battle isn't about whether Okita can beat Archer. That much is a given.

It's about if **I** can survive **Rin**.

* * *

_Miyama Skyscraper..._

**CLANG!**

**CLANG!**

Archer could only fall back.

The Assassin Servant had him overpowered, and outmaneuvered. A situation he had been very familiar with while he was alive.

Back then, the usual response to the scenario would be either retreating until he could find a way around the problem, or keeping at it until his tenacity won the day.

Assassin allowed for neither.

**CLANG!**

Pushed to the edge, Archer leapt off his perch to another building while the Assassin kept pace by running along an electric cable connecting the buildings.

As a matter of **stats**, she clearly had him beat in the categories that mattered.

He couldn't fully retreat. Beyond being faster than him, she could cut down the distance between them almost **instantly**. So he couldn't really perform as an **Archer**.

Turning around, he fired off three new blades, forcing the pursuing Assassin to roll out of the way.

She wasn't slowed down for long though, and thrusted her katana towards his heart.

Kanshou redirected the blow, and Bakuya exploited the short opening.

Assassin was watching though, and retracted her sword in time to clash with his.

Swords locked, the Servants stared each other down, each seeing cold steel in the other. As if their eyes were blades themselves. For this wasn't a battle between humans. In more levels than the physical, this was a clash of swords.

In a storm of sharpened steel that lasted exactly 60 seconds, her strength pushed him back to the edge, and she followed up with a punishing barrage.

**Slash!**

The Assassin made a successful strike to his abdomen. Luckily, it was mainly a flesh wound. Damaging his mantle more than anything else.

This attack of hers was overextended, so she fell back to avoid his counter.

Archer exploited her retreat through a backflip that landed him on the higher building behind him.

"Don't try it Assassin! I've got the highground!" He warned the Assassin.

If she felt threatened by him, she didn't let it show as she raced to the edge of her building to challenge him.

"Don't underestimate me Archer!" she warned back.

Assassin didn't leave him on his lonesome for long, and leapt from her skyscraper to his.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she approached.

By the time she was halfway across the gap, Archer had projected a sword, and his bow.

In the miliseconds it took for him to notch his sword, she was just three feet away.

_"Claíomh Solais" _his sword of light was loosed.

**BVVVVVVVVV**

And with a heavily vibrating hum, a ray of light beamed from his bow, enveloping his range of vision like a flashbang.

When his vision cleared, he could see Okita Souji had been blown off the building. The force of the mythological Irish sword having knocked her back to her starting position.

On top of that, the intensity of the light had set her haori ablaze. Forcing her to fumble quickly to take it off, and try to stomp out the flames to little avail.

"No-no-no-no-**no-nooo**!" By the time it was out, it was in tatters.

"Aw-d-damnit! My coat! I only had the one-**Argh**! (Hijikata's gonna **kill** me…)... you'll **pay** for that Archer!" she threatened him over the damage to her uniform.

"Bill the damages to my ass. He's the only one that gives a crap." he dismissed her.

Assassin glared with newfound intensity. And before Archer could ready another copied Noble Phantasm-

"**Rrrrraaaaagh**!"

She appeared almost instantly before him using her skill-

**BAM!**

And knocked him back with a well place kick.

**Crrrrraaaaaack!**

Which slammed him against a wall behind him, cracking it.

Archer barely had time to duck under a stab that penetrated his previous position.

While her sword was jammed in the building, he repaid her with a kick of his own, knocking her to the edge.

With distance between them, he shot at her again with some generic blades.

She blocked, but the force knocked her over the edge.

**SHHHHRRrrr**

This didn't slow her for long, as she stabbed her blade into the building to slow her fall, letting her adjust, and relentlessly run back up the building, back up to him, avoiding his every shot.

He tried to think of something quickly.

The only thing in his arsenal that could be of much help is his Noble Phantasm, but that would be of only so much help. Summoning it would put him in a vulnerable position the Assassin would exploit. And besides that, his Reality Marble counted on him being able to keep his opponents at a certain distance so he could overwhelm them in a swarm of blades. But the manslayer wouldn't allow him to gain that distance.

He released a blade from his bow that impacted where the Assassin was to move next-

It had an effect. Her feet found no purchase, causing her to fall several meters.

In mid-air, she could not dodge.

EMIYA sent a volley of swords raining down on the Assassin, who found no means to avoid his projectiles.

However, her instincts proved strong, as she was able to deflect sword, after sword.

However, while she survived, she was knocked back several before she could land, and climb back up.

Considering this strategy a failure, EMIYA thought of something that could help in this situation.

His main issue was actually landing a meaningful blow. As a result, any heavy hitting blades wouldn't be worth the prana. So Hrunting wasn't worth it.

Anything explosive in nature might cause unacceptable collateral damage. So Caliburn and Caladbolg were out.

His best homing projectile would be Gae Bolg, but since it's **technically** not a sword, projecting it in a way that would maintain its heart seeking ability in any meaningful capacity would take considerable time and mana.

Although… he did have one tracking weapon that could do the job…

_Trace On_

In searching his Unlimited Blade Works, he found an appropriate tool for the job.

A short, ornate, crimson blade projected into his hand.

"**Lævateinn!**" The weapon was let loose.

Though it was no guaranteed kill like Gae Bolg, it hunted down the Assassin Servant like a hornet chased an invader to its hive.

Okita backflipped to avoid it at first, losing more ground.

She seemed confident that she had him this time, but this confidence didn't last long.

Because Lævateinn came back.

Her instincts saved her again as the Norse blade turned back and chased her.

Ducking just in time, the short sword overshot her, but not by much.

Between Lævateinn, and a new hail of nameless blades raining down on her, Souji changed tactics.

**SHATTER!**

Leaping off the glass panel she was running up, she crashed through the window of another nearby Skyscraper, with Fjölsviðr's sword in hot pursuit.

Losing track of her in there, he momentarily changed focus, and looked back to Rin's quarry.

The Masters were on top of the department store now, with Assassin's Master backed to the edge, appeared to be bleeding from his shoulder, and at risk of being knocked off the second Rin fired her Gandr.

Wait.

_"RIN DON-"_ but he was too late.

She rushed him.

He jumped.

* * *

_5 minutes earlier…_

I'm not going to survive Rin.

"God…. damned… **stairs…**"

Running up thirty flights of goddamned stairs had me out of breath.

_For the love of-! This place isn't even 10 floors high, quit yer bitching!_

I didn't have long, she couldn't be more than two flights down.

Thinking fast, I ran out of the stairwell into the store proper.

A board declared the floor number, and its services

**FL 10**

**Hardware Appliances/Consumer Electric Goods**

… that'll work.

_Whatcha got Rob?_

C'mon, it's** hard**ware! There's gotta be some bludgeon I can use to narrow the power gap between us!

For example, there are a bunch of hammers to choose from.

_So, it's hammer time is it?_

"**Hey!** Are you in here!? You gotta tell me if you are! It's Murder-Death-Kill rules!"

… oh yeah, it's hammer time.

_And I take it you're taking a stand?_

Not exactly. I'm too high up to jump for it, and if I fight her she'll kick my ass.

But, **maybe** if I can pull off a charge, I can push past her, or knock her over and make it back downstairs.

It's a good thing I played all that Madden!

_Stop lying. You hate sports games!_

… _also, you know playing a video game doesn't train you, right?_

Picking out a tool with a hickory handle-

_Don't ignore me Rob!_

-I ready myself to rush her.

She isn't too far from the stairwell, aware that it's my main means of escape.

Having not noticed me yet, I was able to move into a more optimal position in the darkness.

_Wow, this all sounds terrible out of context_.

You shut up.

Anyway, Rin was spending a lot of attention trash talking me, but I tuned it out.

"-oh well, scorched earth it is~"

She reached into her pocket to grab something. Gems most likely.

This is it!

"**RRRRRRAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!**"

"Gotch- **ya**!?"

**SLAM!**

_A plan well executed._

Indeed. However reinforced she **might**'ve been, I had nearly 80 pounds on her, **and** I had her off balance. Magecraft gave way to physics. Taken by a shoulder tackle to the legs, she was lifted **off**, and grappled **to** the ground.

While she was winded, I rolled away, rose to my feet, and made a run for the open exit-

**Screee!**

**SLAM!**

But I wasn't free just yet.

Tohsaka grabbed me by the ankle, and yanked me back down.

"Nice try nerd!" she brags, fumbling to get me into a hold.

Aware of her plan, I threw my weight around to throw her off.

**Pain**

But she was strong. It wasn't long before she had me in a chokehold.

Unfortunately for her, I've spent 3 months training with a special police officer. These things came up.

Reaching for my trusty hammer, I magic it up.

_Define Real_

_Reinforcing it to its limits-_

"Kyd-n-ney sh-ot!"

**jab**

"Kydney shot!"

**Jab! **

"KYDNEY SHOT!""

**JAB!**

With the last elbow to the kydneys hitting as hard as a jackhammer, I finally got a reaction.

"G-gach!" The magi just barely loosened her boa constrictor like hold.

Try as she might, as anyone who's played surgeon simulator would tell you, the hammer is the ribcage's kryptonite.

"KYDNEY SHOT-!"

"Ow-! my ribs!"

"Aaaaand pause-"

Now more free to move, I was able to judo-throw her off my neck, and onto the ground.

"Cranial Cave-in!"

I tried applying my hammer directly to the forehead, but-

**BAM!**

**PAIN**

In a reinforced kick that probably broke a rib of my own, she knocked me across the room-

**SLAM!**

**CRASH!**

-and into one of the shelves, knocking it, and its product all over.

_...so, that worked out._

I held on to the fallen shelf for support

**pain**

Yup, **definitely** broke something…

"You done getting your shit together over there?"

I turned to see the current 'Guardian of the stairs™' mocking me.

_Tell me you've got a plan B._

Yeah, but it's **kinda** a longshot.

If it doesn't work… I wish I could say it's been a pleasure...

_...__**no, Rob**__! I __**see**__ what you're planning! She's __**not**__ dumb enough to fall for that! __**Nobody**__ is!_

**Fine**. Plan C it is.

"That's my secret Tohsaka. My shit's never together!" I declare.

"..."

"... I'm not great with banter." I admit.

"... you… want another minute to think of better last words? You're kinda killing my vibe dude." she offers.

"A... kind offer, but I'd rather take that minute to ask you something."

"Trying my patience…"

"Why me? There's a serial killer on the loose now, as well as Berserker. I know your Servant was watching the battle at the church, as well as the incident at the temple. There are **bigger** fish to fry. If anything we should be cooperating! So- why me!?"

"Besides the fact that we're in a heckin' **war** right now, in which we're, y'know, **enemies**? Your dumbass self was just in the wrong **place**, and the wrong **time**. Because Rin Tohsaka is on the **Mother Effin' WARPATH**! And **so help her**, if she doesn't kill **something** in this war,

She's gonna **LOSE IT**!"

"... is… speaking in the third person **also** something Warpath Rin does?"

"That **is** one of her character traits, **yes**." she stated in a 'matter of fact' manner.

Great. Back against the wall, fighting a lunatic.

"... I don't believe you." I stated.

"Huh?"

"You're gonna kill me because what? Because you're bored? You're a **Magus**. Having survived so long in the moonlit world, you're **incapable** of that level of recklessness! You wouldn't do this unless you gained something by it. And if you're goal tonight truly is to kill me, it's because I stand in the way of a larger goal. In this case? Your clearing an obstacle to either Saber."

"... shit you're good…" she sounded surprised.

"...thank you?"

"You're **Actually** **Batman**!"

…

"...(why does everyone say that..?)"

_I mean, with the angst levels I'd argue you're Actually Spiderman._

"So what is it Tohsaka? Satan not enough for you?"

"**Actually** Satan!" She exclaimed.

"..."

"I think the "Actually" part is important."

"Hm."

"And come on~! You've hung around Baeber **how long**, and you're telling me you **wouldn't** hit that?" she asks rhetorically. "If you're telling me you **wouldn't** hit that, destroying you **will** leave me with the moral highground."

"... So you wanna sex her basically?" I ask, incredulously.

_At this point, that club should have T-Shirts._

"Basically, yes."

"... look, if I can get you a date with "Baeber", will you stop trying to kill us?" I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"... you be my wingman on this?" she seemed to consider it for a moment.

"...yes. I will be your wingman. Me and Saber are… acquaintances. I can hook you up."

Well… if it stops Rin from fighting us, Shirou can probably convince Saber to give it a chance.

… _I dunno. I feel kinda dirty. And not in a good way. Feels like we're selling out a friend._

Rin seemed to think about it for a minute.

"Think Rin. Is taking her by force going to get you what you want?" I ask rhetorically.

"..." she thinks, before her features harden, "You're playing me."

Oh shit.

… _plan B then?_

"You're right. If I'm being honest, I just need to say- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" I frantically point behind her.

Startled, she instinctively looked.

_**SHE FELL FOR IT!?**_

_**HOW!?**_

Once more I run at my enemy, and instead of a tackle-

**SLAM!**

I knock her to the ground!

"Bitch!" she exclaimed as she hit the floor again.

My way free I-!

**PEW!**

**BZZZT-BZZZZT**

**pain**

… what was that?

_Ignore it, just run upstairs! I got an idea._

Oh, since it's your plan, running upstairs is o-

**BZZZT-BZZZZT**

**pain**

Okay, going.

This place is only like ten floors, so what's the idea brain?

_Head for the roof._

Opening the final door, I look around.

Find the water tower.

Water tower?

I saw it had one. Look around.

Sure enough there was a big old water tower.

Okay, what now?

… oh I see…

Preparing a rune for the job, I set myself u-

**SLAM-CRACK**

I step back closer to the edge.

"Nice try Mcfly! But you've got to get up real heckin' early to get one over on me!" The Japanese Magus mocked me. As she slammed the door to the rooftop open.

The strong cold wind of the rooftop threatened to knock me off the edge.

I looked down below.

This was a twelve story building. If I jumped, I'd be lucky to escape with just broken bones even if I tried Self-Reinforcement. Without it?

I looked back to my opponent.

Rin Tohsaka had me at Gandr point. And if I tried charging her like before, it would be fatal.

**It's wrong...**

**Pain pain pain pain….**

**Cold cold cold….**

**It's wrong...**

Her Gandr from earlier was starting to make me feel sick. Fragile.

_The effects of the __**illness curse**__._

"Killing me… won't give you a path to Saber Rin. Even if you kill Shirou as well, she won't accept you as Master. Whatever it is you like about her in the first place will stop her from serving you." I target the core of the issue.

Rin seems taken aback by this analysis for the briefest of moments before reaffirming something with herself.

"EH! WRONG! The only person that's going to die here is your Servant after you order her suicide." she responded, confidently, walking forward.

"And if I don't?" I back up, and into the railing.

"Look kid, we can do this the easy way, or the Tohsaka way." she warned, gesturing that she'd remove my Command Seal hand.

"...and I take the "Tohsaka way" to be the... violent option?"

"That's the implication, yeah."

I stare at my hand, holding the seals.

Okita was occupied with Archer. Keeping him off us. The second I'd call her here, he'd bury us in swords.

A small, instinctual part of me considered Rin's offer(threat).

But only for a second.

Because I made a promise.

_And what promise was that?_

I turn back to Rin.

"No. I'm afraid I'm doing this my way." I say, resigned.

"The implication being?" She asked in turn.

"..." I step on to the edge. "The stupid option."

"...oh... I can see that." she thinks she sees the plan.

"Shooting me with a low-level Gandr will knock me over, clearly killing me. Any attempt to capture me, and I'll jump. Same result. Either way, I'll spend two of my Command Seals to get Assassin to kill your Servant. Taking you out of the war. And the last will go to telling my truth of what happened here. Shirou isn't the greatest Mage in the world, but with Saber by his side, you won't get so much as within thirty feet of them without a sword through the chest if they believe you killed me. And between the bombs you planted at the school, you throwing him at a trap at Ryuudou, the countless other traps you yourself have doubtlessly tried to murder him with, as well as my last Command Seal ordering Assassin to tell them my version of events, well… this situation does look rather incriminating on you, no? Even he's not stupid enough to believe the innocent "Always Elegant" persona you put on anymore." And that's how it is.

If she tries to force me out of the war, she'd lose everything she'd hope to gain. If she tries to wait this out, Assassin will kill Archer, and she'll be the one on the backfoot.

Blade Works be damned. Archer's no good to me if he's threatening my part in the war. I'll make do with the younger one.

"... you're bluffing." she tries me.

"No! I'm! Not! Because I'm not playing a fucking game Tohsaka! This is war."

"Murder-Death-Kill." she... tries to correct me?

"(...are you serious right now?)" I mutter, dangerously.

"Yeah. "Holy Grail War" doesn't really fit for what we're doing. The Grail itself isn't exactly "Holy". "Holy Grail" is B.S, aaaaand I'm... getting the strangest feeling you don't care?"

"... not particularly at the moment…" I nearly growl at the end of the sentence, but take a breath, and calm myself. "But let's not get off topic. Call off your Servant. Fight another day."

"You really expect me to believe that you'd kill yourself, just so I couldn't get a shot at Baeber?" she seemed to insist on drawing this out.

"If I am to lose here, I shall see to it your "victory" tastes like ash, as the loss of my Servant would mean more to me than just a loss in this war. But that, I do not expect you to understand. What I **do** expect you to know, is that you don't know me. You don't know my goals, or the lengths I'll go to to see them through. I could be bluffing, but how could you tell? Oh, but by all means, if you're feeling lucky- **Flip. That. Coin**."

_You said you made a promise? What was it again?_

"So, I guess we've got ourselves a Japanese standoff! The third most racist standoff of them all!" Rin adds, seemingly frustrated at being unexpectedly cornered.

"So, are you just going to stand there and bluster at me until Assassin punts "Satan" back to hell? Or are you ready to call this off?"

"... I'm calling!"

"Wha-!?"

The Magus rushed me.

Bad move for both of us.

I fell back, middle fingers on both hands up-

And I fell.

But I wasn't afraid.

Because it was all part of the plan.

Because, even though I **promised** to fight to the bitter end, that end would **not** be today!

**CRACKA-BOOOOOM!**

The rune grenade set at the base of the water tower went off.

**FWOOOOSH!**

The water was set free from its container, and swept up an unsuspecting twintailed Magus-

"Oh, CRAPBASKEEEeee!"

Oh, she says that too?

-still, she could reinforce herself. She'll live, but you can bet it's gonna bruise.

Me? I can only hope I timed this right-!

_"__**OKITA**__!"_

I called on her halfway to the ground-

"I got you!"

**THOOOM!**

**SWOOOSH!**

I nearly got whiplashed by the sudden shift in direction.

But sure enough, Okita had caught me.

"Okita, thanks for the save!" I thanked her before-

**SHATTER!**

We tumbled through the window of a neighboring building.

**Pain-Pain-Pain**

The resulting roll, and shattered glass cutting my skin did not make it a perfect save though.

"...c-coulda stuck the landing better though…" I couldn't help the complaint.

"Y-yeah, sorry… I overestimated the strength of the glass…" she admits, standing back up, and offering me a hand back up. While an ornate crimson blade dissolved into blue particles while standing the drywall near the window. The fate of some projectile Archer threw at us.

I take it but-

**PAIN PAIN PAIN**

**MAKE IT STOP **

**MAKE IT STOP**

**PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN**

"Master!?" Okita expressed concern when I reacted poorly to using my bad arm.

"**Arrrrrgggh!** (**Ssssshit…), S-**sorry, try again, other arm this time…" I tried ignoring it by using my right arm.

Assassin stops me, and checks my injured shoulder.

Her reaction bodes poorly.

"... How does it look?" I brace myself.

"... probably how it feels." she admits.

"Well there's not much we can do about it right now." I stand back up, "We need to leave the area before Rin shows up wanting round 2. Emiya's in trouble. Call it Paranoia, but I know he can't keep himself out of it. Get us out of here." Just focusing on the objective makes ignoring the urge to vomit easier.

"Right." Okita supports me as we go for the exit, "where we looking next?"

"... Go for the park." It's either there, or the school at this point.

"Umm…hey!"

**crash**

"Ow…" I groaned as I was dropped by Okita, who turned to face… um…

Two small children.

"(Gudako!)" The black haired boy tried to stop his… I'm guessing sister?

Realizing it was just some kids, Assassin lowered her sword.

The redheaded girl boldly approached Okita, who picked me back up.

"So, are you guys **superheroes**!?" She asked, excitedly.

Me and Assassin looked at each other and blinked.

"... why yes little one. I'm told my friend here is like Batman." Assassin…

_"Okita, we don't have time for thi-"_

_"Do you want to try and explain to two 5 year olds why we crashed through their window at night?"_

…

"... Here, money for your parents to fix the window. Don't spend it all on candy or something." I gave a bunch of yen to the boy.

"Wha-Why me?" He asked.

"You seemed like the responsible one."

"You… figured right." he sounded exasperated.

"Wha- **Ritsu**!" The girl complained.

"Do **you** want to explain to Dad what happened?" he asked her.

"... so yeah, thank you Batma-! and he's gone."

The opened door creaked lightly.

"(... maybe he really was Batman…)" Ritsuka wondered aloud.

* * *

I finally started walking on my own again once we were back on the street.

"... Don't you know a spell to fix windows?" Okita asked.

"..." The pain in my wallet made me unwilling to answer that question.

We were about halfway to the park when the adrenaline started to die down, and I felt the Gandr's full effect.

**It's Wrong It's Wrong**

**Cold Cold**

**Make it Stop**

I stop, and move over to the side.

My body begins to reject the Gandr in its system, and I regurgitate revolting black and crimson bile, getting the curse out.

"There there…" Assassin supports me, at least verbally. "Let what's in out."

"**Ugh**… sorry." I apologise once I feel it's gone.

"Hey, I'd be throwing stones in a glass house if I complained here." she says before noticing something. "Hey, take your shirt off real quick."

Of course, me being a healthy male of my age, I took that to mean something a little out of place.

"Wow Okita, this is rather bold for you..."

"**J**-Just do it!" he blush matched mine before I complied.

**PAIN PAIN**

Taking it off, I only just then realized how bloody my now significantly skinnier body was.

_So, I guess a months training didn't go completely to waste?_

Well, I'm not exactly an Olympic athlete with just a month to prepare, but yes, training with Okita had yielded results I previously didn't believe possible for me.

Anyway, most of the shirt was ruined and I was probably gonna have to toss it at this point. Blood doesn't come out easy, and the hole would need to be stitched.

_Seltzer water and lemon for blood. That, or you can just wear red._

… thanks?

"Find what you're looking for?" I ask.

"... unfortunately." Okita remarked as she touched a spot that stung.

"... how bad is it?"

"It probably hurts worse than it is, but if we don't stop the bleeding, or get it stitched up Gandr will be the least of your concerns." She figured. "At least unlike the bullet wounds it **looks** like, there's nothing to dig out.

"Help me stop the bleeding for now. I got supplies that can help fix it back at Emiya's." I prioritized the mission before my health.

I left a powerful healing rune back home, as well as first aid supplies.

Note to self, carry a healing rune with me next time.

Post Scriptum, carry some supplies during the day too. I don't know why we expected we wouldn't run into trouble...

"Fine, hold on…" she ripped the clean part of my shirt as bandages to hold me together for a while. "I'll give you this much Master, you can be stubborn."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Meant it as one." She smirked back.

* * *

_12 minutes later…_

_Miyama Park…_

We wound up stumbling our way to the park.

Any time we ran into people hypnosis got them to leave us be. We didn't have time for 20 questions.

By the time we walked in here, we both felt it.

"... it's quiet." I note it.

"Yeah, too quiet." Assassin finishes the cliche. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That it's really cold, and you feel dizzy?"

"No… that's **probably** blood loss. I was thinking we're walking into a trap."

"Twice in one night? Shit, we're popular tonight…"

"You got a plan Master?" Okita refocused me.

"Yeah. Spring the trap."

* * *

…

…

It was him

She found him

…

…

…

**die die die die **

It hurt.

**"leave… him…"**

She was so hungry it hurt.

**Consume.**

**He'll take him.**

This dream… wasn't like the others. It was like she was drowning in sweetm**urd**erlovepl**ea**suredesi**repa**inp**ain**.

**Don't let him take Shirou.**

**"leave… him…"**

**"...Die… die suffer drown scream die drown murder die die DieDIE dieidideidesufferdieDIE!"**

Hate

**Hate**

Hate

Hate

She crus**died** in that too.

**"He hurt Shirou… he has to die…(?)"**

He… he wha-?

N-no. He… he hasn't-

**KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillEatEatEatEatEatEatEatEatEatEatKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill-**

But it was too much, and she woke up.

* * *

_ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

… **jeeze. Sakura, calm down, eat a snickers.**

**No, but seriously, even abridged her situation is pretty fucked up.**

**So yeah. Rin's on the warpath, and Orso's pretty lucky to get awa-**

**'CRRRRRAAAAAACK!'**

"Booooooriiiing!"

**...the hell was that?**

"In a world of narrator's who ain't got no swing, the strongest all knowing and beautiful English Teacher steps in to take things… **TO THA MOOOOOOOOOON**!"

**Who is this lunatic woman and why is she-?**

"Teacher! Teacher! Someone stole my Ber-zer-car and used it to break the fourth wall! This is **bad**!"

**And now my room is being invaded by an "English Teacher", and an albino loli?**

**...****oh no.**** I know what this is…**

"**Baka**! **Moron**! **Dunce**! **Negative F minus**! The truth can't be constrained by mere **walls of metaphor**! Now I can move without the limits of some useless budget! **Be free**!" she began wiggling around.

**What have I done!?**

"But **teacher**! We're in fanfiction right now! We don't have a budget! And besides, Ufotable's animation is justice!"

"Justice can only exist in the heart…" the teacher remarked dramatically.

**So… not to be ****that guy****, but if you two wouldn't mind going back to where you came from, I got a chapter to wrap up here-**

"NEVER! YOU MAY TAKE MY LIFE, BUT YOU WON'T TAKE **MY ANIMATION**!"

"...Sensei… you're being troublesome…" Student Number 1 helped me out.

**Look, if I give you the end section, will you fix the 4th wall? I'm pretty sure horrible eight dimensional lovecraftian monstrosities are leaking in.**

**2020's pretty fucked as it is, so if you don't mind?**

"No worries~! Teacher has a plan to save us all!" the tiny albino proclaimed.

"To destroy hate you must sacrifice what you love!" The teacher pulled a DVD case out of nowhere, and chucked it at the breach in reality.

The wormhole rippled, and stitched itself together.

"Sensei! You saved us from most of the monsters!"

**And with everything going on, I doubt people will notice the handful of horrible creatures from the nightrealm that ****did**** manage to get in.**

"But at **what cost**!? We lost season 4 Illya! Season 4!" Teacher named the sacrifice.

"Teacher… we can have our season 4! Right here! Right now!" Illya consoled her.

"My favorite student…" the English Teacher cried at this, "and **so it is**! Watch out Chapter 16! **TAIGA DOJO 2 BEGINS**!"

… **What have I done?**

.


	17. KnightsShade

**Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello **

**SrWilsonMr- Well, I can't claim credit for the idea. Hell, this ain't even the first Fate Abridged fanfic! That honor goes to "fate first order derivative" by machiavelli. I think it's dead now, but definitely worth checking out. Still, thank you for joining me here, and I hope the rest of the story doesn't disappoint.**

**Bit of a shorter one, but I feel as though it cuts off at the right point.**

**runelt99- Not soon enough.**

**relyt118- a fair criticism. One I try to improve, especially in later chapters. But, it's a bad habit I'm trying to quit.**

**VolcanicFlare- Don't I know it now-**

"Minus 50 points! Only Sakura-chan claims the 9-time Cthulhu weight championship!"

**...what?**

"I'll have you know, I'm a **beautiful, gracious** woman who will forgive you once you're **groveling beneath my claws-**!"

**Taiga, get back to the end section or you get no dinner!**

"... You haven't seen the last of me "flare", if that **is** your true username!"

… **so yeah, that's been my week.**

**xfel- I mean, he ****did**** pull out a "sword of light", that Claíomh Solais he traced. **

**Guest Questions-**

**Yes, I've read the VN**

**He learned Illusions at the end of chapter 15 when he was in his warehouse workshop. In that part he was talking about hitting a brick wall. I alluded to it, but did not specifically mention it was Illusions he was doing in order to maintain the surprise.**

* * *

_Chapter XVII: KnightsShade_

_Date: 02/05/2004_

_Time: 6:02 pm_

_Location: Miyama Park_

* * *

_ThemeSong- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

Walking through the park, the fact that something was wrong here was reinforced with every step.

First clue was the quiet. No bugs, no people, yada yada, I've talked about it before.

Second clue was that age old feeling of being watched.

Third clue? The crater in the middle of a playground.

"Looks like your hunch was right Master." Okita remarked.

"Be~cause of **course** it was. I literally let him out of my sight for **an hour**…" I start getting annoyed before analysing the damage. "Whatever happened happened recently."

"You thinking it could've been our new enemy?" Okita asked.

"... I'm not so sure. Whoever attacked Caster didn't leave much damage behind as evidence. And Shirou couldn't do this at this point."

A few parts of the area looked like they could've been bludgeoned. Possibly Shirou missing a hit or three with his pipe.

Other parts? The monkey bars for example look cut up. And that cheri tree? Something was recently stabbed into it. Something magical in nature I'd assume, due to it seemingly having been healthy some time ago, as it's higher branches seem healthy, but the rest of it is rapidly decaying. Shirou doesn't have access to projecting blades yet. Let alone poisonous ones.

"You see a trail? Maybe we can still-" I ask before-

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIII!"

"Or, y'know, we can follow that." I look to the source of the scream.

"It sounded like a little girl." Okita remarked, and turned serious.

_"I'll play rabbit. You watch my back concealed in case this is a trap."_ I ordered through our connection.

_"Roger."_ she responded, and faded into presence concealment.

I jog in the direction of the scream, and noticed something.

Blood. Not a lot, but it was prevalent. Indicating the battle moved this way.

I traversed nearly a hundred meters before I found Shirou.

He was bleeding out, sprawled out across the ground on his stomach. Barely moving.

I moved to help him, but stopped.

Left alone in a clearing, no sign of what attacked him?

_"See anything Assassin?"_

_"...no. He's alone."_ she told me.

...odd.

"Stay vigilant." I order as I move to Shirou.

"(n-no… Illy… s-stop….)" he mumbled as I crouched down to him.

"Emiya-!" I touched his shoulder, but he responded by struggling violently- "easy- **easy man**! It's me!"

He calmed down for a second as I got him to sit up against a tree.

"(R-Rob!? L-listen… I-Illya… sh-she…)" he struggled to get words out.

He has multiple stab wounds. If whatever hit him was the same thing that hit that tree…

"Poison…?" I noted.

Saber's Scabbard should be healing whatever damage is being done to him, so if it's **still** this bad…

_"Definitely ain't Caster then…"_ it's not her MO. She doesn't do poison.

_"It doesn't really match any of the Servants to be honest…" _Okita mused.

"What happened Shirou-? H-hey! Stay awake! What happened!?" I asked as he seemed to be nodding off.

"(I-Illya… it took…)" was all he said before passing out.

The last thing he did was point in a direction.

"Shirou!?" I shook him, but he was out.

I had to think quickly.

Avalon should keep him alive. Poison **shouldn't** kill him.

But… he's not responding well. Whatever's ailing him is likely magical in nature. And factoring in distance to Saber herself… we need to get him home, **quickly**.

But Illya… he kept saying 'Illya'.

Sounded like she got kidnapped by whatever this was.

Master of Berserker getting kidnapped? Let alone the core of the Grail?

Not good.

_"... Assassin, get him home."_ I make a call.

_Risky… most would say stupid._

_"Master?"_ she sounded surprised.

_"Make it quick. I'll need your help soon."_

_"What the hell are you planning!? You're barely in a better state than __**him**__!"_ she objected.

_"__**I'll**__ distract whatever has Illyasviel! __**You**__ just get him closer to Saber and get back here!"_ I ordered as I ran in the appointed direction.

_"Did blood loss drive you crazy!? You'll die!" _Okita objected.

"Then I'll see you in hell!" I shout aloud as I run.

She must've followed orders, as she quieted down.

In the couple seconds it took to get out of eyesight, I found the trail again.

A couple more, and I had to stop. Out of breath.

**pain pain**

**it's cold**

**it's cold**

**it's wrong it's wrong**

**pain pain**

Okita wasn't wrong. Adrenaline could only get me so far in this state. I didn't know what I'd do when I found the enemy.

Working myself into pushing past the pain, and the dizziness, I run again.

It doesn't take me long to find them.

A silhouette in the distance. Carrying something purple over its shoulder.

They were too far off to make out clearly nearly 200ish meters out, but they... **seemed** to be wearing some torn, frilly dress. With a dark, **nearly** black bottom skirt, and a violet top.

They didn't seem in a hurry, but they **did** stand out in that they walked… oddly. Like they were trying to cross as much distance with each step as possible. Stretching, and swaying unnaturally all the while.

The enemy turned a corner, and vanished in the darkness.

_Define Real_

Running, I chased the figure, ready to fight.

Turning the same corner, I found them to be closer and… it was clear this **wasn't** a human. Or any Servant based on one.

It's back turned to me, the figure sped up. Realizing it was being followed. Its running gait having some unnatural, alien grace. Slowed by its tiny albino burden, it seemed restrained in its agility.

"**Attention Amber-Alert-Asshole!**"

**PEW!**

It stops mid-step. Gandr frying where it would be if it didn't.

**bzzzt**

It's inhumanly thin, pale limbs freeze in place for ten full seconds before retreating to a more humanlike standing position.

_"So, it can at least understand me…"_ I note.

"Put. The Loli. **Down**. I **won't** ask twice." I warn it, stepping closer slowly.

**bzzzt**

**bzzzt**

It didn't respond again for several seconds.

When it did, it carefully placed the Einzbern girl down.

Getting closer, I noticed Illya was out cold. Probably why Berserker wasn't trashing the place. Probably because she got a dose of whatever got Emiya.

"Okay, good… now back away slowly." Kinda surprised by its cooperation at this point.

**BZZZT-BZZZZT**

But that's when it turned.

It was just it's head at first. Twisting on its pencil neck like it had no bones, it's face-

**Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt**

-like a… like a…

**Bzzzt BZZZT-BZZZZT Bzzzt**

* * *

_"It l**k* like Mo***** w*rk"_

_"***. * *el**ve *** calls the*m... __**Knightshades**__?"_

_"An A**as*in f**"l*ar?"_

* * *

**Bzzzt BZZZT-BZZZZT Bzzzt**

A violet flower bud. It's head was just a flower bud.

Its slender, alien body seemed like…

It reminds of Nobodies from Kingdom Hearts actually. A weird, flowery Nobody.

The thing gestured to me with a sharp, thin arm.

"((...)) ((**...**))"

"Huh!?" I don't… it di-...

What?

**FWOOOSH!**

I jumped back as it charged at me.

**PEW! PEW! POP! PEW! POW!**

It swayed, bent, and slithered over, under, and around as many curses as I could throw at it until-!

"-GAH!"

**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN**

It grabbed my bad arm, twisted in a **death spiral**, and pulled me down to the ground.

**SLAM**

"-**Urgh**! **-shit**!" I twisted to avoid it stabbing me with a dagger-like, thorn covered right arm.

It didn't let me rest like that, and twisted itself in a manner that betrayed the fact that it seemed to have no bones to break, soon-

**fwosh!**

**SLAM!**

**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN**

Judo throwing me at least six meters.

**POW PEW POW POW**

I shoot more curses at it, but not one landed as it snaked its way to me.

I swayed back to avoid it reaching to grab my arm again-

**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAI-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAI**

But it got worse when it stretched and grabbed my **neck**. Trying to **crush my windpipe**.

_And there will be __**no hammer**__ to save you this time._

"**g-gack**!" I tried throwing it off as it constricted my throat.

Despite its lack of a skeletal structure, it's musculature **more** than made up for it.

**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAI**

**PAIn-Pain-pAin-pain-pain-pain-pain-pain-pain**

I started seeing spots as it kept pulling me down by my neck.

All the while, I was fighting the thorny dagger-arm.

_"I-I did… not fight off Rin… just to die… to a __**discount**__ Audrey Two!" I_ declared internally as I pulled with all my might to remove the fingerless limb from my neck.

But, just as it seems I was making progress-

**SPLLLERT**

**PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAIN-PAin-Pain-pain-pain-pain…**

It's limb thrusted into my gut, my body gave out.

**cold… cold… cold…**

As more blood spilled out of me, something cold entered my veins.

Satisfied, the figure dropped me, releasing its hold.

As I took deeper breaths in, I tried to hold in my guts.

Standing over me, the creature seemed content to watch me for what felt like an eternity.

I tried to stand up, but my limbs started feeling… numb.

Soon I… I couldn't control them anymore. My strength was gone… I felt cold...

_The poison._

I stopped moving… barely awake...

After what was just thirty seconds real time, but felt like an hour, it turned around, and back to the dropped child.

_She's going to die._

Illya seemed just out cold. She was breathing. Barely. With a pained expression.

_She's going to die __**alone**__._

It was going to take her… to God knows where… and God knows what for.

_"I… I can't…"_

_Then die. _

_**Die with her.**__**Alone**__._

_"N-no… I need to…"_

_Stop them?_

_Then stop._

I stopped.

_Feel it._

Feel it?

_Come now boy~. _

_Your __**anger**__._

...anger?

_It's the gate. Within you._

_You never let yourself feel it._

_It always… fizzles out. _

_Listen. Listen to your heart._

_Find it's fire- _

_Stoke it with your __**pain(key)**__-_

_**Hear your **__**rage**__._

H-How… do I-

_**No**__! Don't ask. Just… feel._

It reached down to pick her up.

My pain…

**pain-pain-paiN-**

To my rage…

_Acknowledge your passion._

_Release your hate._

_**And set them both **_**free**.

**paIN-PAIn-wrong-PaIN-PAIN-it'swrong-PAIN-PAIN-wrong-PAINPAIN! !?**

**STOPITSTOPITSTOPITSTOPITWRONGSTOPITSTOPITyou'lldieSTOPITSTOPITnotri-STOPIT!**

**bzzzt**

* * *

Saber stopped in her tracks. Nearly dropping her 'appropriated' snack cake.

She felt it again.

It was undeniable this time.

It should be impossible... It **was** impossible...

But feeling this aura...

**NO**

This... **Echo** of that aura.

"So... it **is** him..." she accepted with melancholy.

She didn't know everything. This sort of thing wasn't her specialty.

But after the answer he gave the other day, when she asked-

_"Orso... are you sure that's your true name?"_

She knew why.

She knew why he was here, even if **he** no longer could.

Deep down, some part of her wanted things to be different this time.

But... she knew the war was no place for that kind of thought.

Because in the end, she'd have to kill him.

Artoria only hoped that time would come before he remembered.

It'd be less painful for them **both** that way.

* * *

"H-**HEY**!"

It twisted to look at me crawling to it.

**bzzzt Bzzzt**

"W-What!? C-**Can't** finish the job…_!_?"

**PAIN-PAIN**

**BZZZT-BZZZZT**

**Fwoooosh…**

**shakeshakeshake**

It tilted it's head to the area, as the local wind picked up **wildly** while I forced myself back up, and gestured for it to come at me.

"Come on… you're just… a **weed**. A **pest**. Did you think… I'd roll over… and acc_ept_ losing a _fig_ht to so_me_ D_an_d_yli_on-**b**_**itch**_!?"

_**Define Real**_

**BZZZT-BZZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZZT**

My undamaged arm lit up.

"T_o_ so_me_… _**rag**_**ged**_**y**_… washed _u_p _**ha**_**gs** **t**_**oy**_!?"

Electricity danced along my arm.

It hesitated, watching me monologue.

"If yo_u're_ f_eeli_ng **suicidal…** _co_me _on_… **try m**_**e**_."

My body **screamed** in pain.

And I **listened**.

_**Embrace**__ it._

_And __**let go.**_

**FWOOOSH**

It rushed me again, but-!

**GRKG Imp$&stasi+PAIN#RK!-!?~!?=REAL?RRrRrrimpossssserrror-!?**

**BZZZT-BZZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZZT-BZZZT-BZZZZT**

I **blew it away**.

**FWWWWWOOOOOOSHHHH!**

A gale of **hurricane force** wind knocked it back, and-!

**CRRRRRAAAAAACK**

**Snapped** the oak tree it flew into.

If it was human, it'd be dead. No doubt.

Standing on my own two feet again, I slowly walked closer to the thing.

It was 'alive'. Barely. Sputtering out the last of its life like a wounded fly.

"O_h?_ Is th_a_t… a_l_l yo_u_ _ca_n do, p_es_t?" I asked it in an unfamiliar tone, and-

**SLAM!**

**"((!))"**

I crushed its leg under my boot.

"((!?))"

It twisted and-

**Shhhrp!**

**pain?**

Stabbed my leg with it's thorny limb in a Hail Mary attempt to escape.

"Hm… w_hat_ do _yo_u k_no_w? A pu_ppet_ **can** fear."

"Le_t's_ _se_e if it c_a_n **s**_**cre**_**am**."

And in a sadistic **tw**_**is**_**t-**!

**"((!))"**

I ripped the petals off its pseudo head.

Again, again, again, again, again-

"Oh! _Le_t's pla_y_ a _gam_e! _Le_t's _s_ee… s_he lov_es me?"

**"((!))"**

"Sh_e lov_es me _no_t?"

I tore off petals off to reveal a blank, slenderman like head.

21 petals in all, I finished.

"Aw_ww_w, she _doe_s! W_ell_, this _certai_nly made **my** night b_alanc_ed a_gai_n! ...aww, I guess I broke... it?"

The thing stopped moving.

**tired…**

And it started dissapaiting.

**tired...**

**pain…**

**tired...**

**pain…**

"Heh… I guess…. I guess… what did I…?"

Wait.

This was wrong.

It was wrong-**bad-error-error-error-error-errOR-erRor-ERROR-ERROR-ERROR**

"**RRRRRAAAAAGH**!" I roared to the heavens as pain, and confusi-ra**ge-screamdeathwrongwrongwrong**

I… I collapsed? When did I…

**What** did I… do?

**Fwoooosh~!**

Something… something was coming.

I looked.

**More** of them.

I saw… **at least** three.

They skip-walked closer to us.

_...well shit._

Well… I tried.

I look to the still unconscious Illya.

She looked like she was struggling to awaken.

I crawl over to her.

If these things were gonna attack, they'd go through **me** first.

"S-sorry…" I apologise to her.

My body was shutting down.

The poison... the pain... the blood loss...

How was I still conscious?

My legs refused to move anymore as they approached.

My arms… I barely felt them to begin with.

"De...fine… R-real-!"

**EERROR-ERROR-ERROR**

My Gandr failed. I had no Mana left in me to fight with.

All I had with them was a defiant glare.

They seemed to mock me.

_But none… not one made a sound?_

"c-come on… c-come on… you… daisy-**dolts**… step closer… I'll use my **teeth** if I have too! I'll take you **all on**!" I dared them.

"Well then, I guess he's got it covered. We should go now Rin."

...w… what?

"Satan, if it isn't **me** that kills him, **so help me**, I will use my last Command Seal to **make you **go fuck yourself!"

_No way…_

"... yeah, not touching that one."

**Fwosh**

**Fwosh**

**Fwosh**

The creatures fell one by one as swords flew in from just outside my peripherals, and stuck inside their surprised heads, survivors snaking into the shadows.

And as they dropped dead, I heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, McBatfly? You still alive?" I hear a familiar voice ask me.

**pain**

"regretfully…" I angst.

"Oh, cool. Now **I** get to ask **you** something." she says as she gets close to me.

**Pain**

"Ow…" I sound out as Rin Tohsaka flips me over, and points a Gandr at me.

"You **Coo-Coo for Cocoa** **Puffs** **man**!?" she exclaims.

"...possibly. To be honest, I don't know what **is**, or **isn't** cray-cray anymore…" I admit. "So, this the part where the 'Tohsaka option' comes in?"

"...hm, nah." she decides on the spot.

"What?"

"**Why**?!"

Me and Archer both exclaimed, though he was much louder.

"Item **1**, you just got your ass beat by some familiar trying to **steal my kill**. You think I, **Rin Tohsaka**, would accept the help of some **dumbass daffodil**!? **No**! Your ass is **mine**!" she exclaimed. "Now **stay still** so I can make sure you don't **die**, and I can **kill you myself **later!"

_b-baka!_

She started pulling something out of her pocket, a gem.

"... And… item 2?" I ask, cautiously.

"Reason **B**, is because… what you did earlier was... **kinda** badass." she hesitates to admit, a tiny blush on her face.

"Oh… you saw that?"

Not entirely sure what that was all about myself…

For a minute there I… I just didn't feel like myself.

"Uh, **duh**? You knocked me off the roof?" she looked confused.

"...oh. Well… you just... missed something else that was... pretty cool." I puff up a bit in pride. "... I think?"

Rin used some magecraft to emit a green light from her hand that gave off a warm, comforting feeling that restored feeling to my body that wasn't terrible terrible pain.

"(... jeeze, how are you alive?)" she asked.

"Huh?"

"That stuff in you would stop an Elephants heart. How are you still **alive**? Let alone conscious?"

"...good question. One I would answer by passing out-"

And so I finally did.

* * *

"...well, shit." Rin sighed. "Archer, little help?"

Archer appeared in a swirl of blue particles after investigating, and dealing with Illya, and placed a hand on him to analyze his body.

_Trace On_

It didn't take long for him to find something was unusual about him. Beyond the poisoning. **Far** beyond that.

_"... I see. So that's why."_ Emiya then understood Robert Orso's place in all this.

And what that… outburst he saw a just moments ago was about.

It could be… problematic. If **he** was anything like Saber said… if Orso couldn't control that side of him, it could be dangerous. For him, and others.

He'd seen the results of people losing control in similar situations. The results were on the same level as rogue Dead Apostles.

Not pretty.

Robert Orso's potential threat level just increased dramatically. And would continue to do so exponentially if he was allowed to live. It was part of his heritage.

But still…

He looked at the eternally child-like Illya.

Orso fought to keep her safe when he didn't have to.

"The poison is an alchemical formula based on Nightshade Belladonna that's shutting down his nervous system. Deadly stuff. He lost so much blood over the last hour he **should** have collapsed ten minutes ago. Though your magecraft stopped the bleeding. But let's not talk about his Mana levels."

"Is… there nothing we can do?" she actually sounded concerned.

"Well, I could do a- **MANA PULSE**!"

Orso's body jolted as a burst of foreign Mana danced through his body.

"There. That broke down the poison. All he needs is some Mana as a lifeline until his body restores his blood naturally." Emiya doctored. It was the least he could do since this guy protected Illya here. They were even now.

"... well, I'll leave you to it~!" she tried walking away.

"I'm not doing that Rin." Archer objected.

"W-wha-!? You think **I'm** gonna do it!?" she complained.

"It's a Mana transfer Rin. Not a big deal. He's not even conscious."

"Well if it's not a big deal, **you** do it!"

"Ph-yeah, you and **what** command seals?" he gestured to her hand that only had one left.

After spending one earlier today to call him to save her from that fall, she wasn't in a position to use any more.

Flustered and sputtering, she objected to the idea until-

"You wanna kill him yourself or not?" he asked.

"...f-**FINE**!" she yelled at him before turning almost nervously to the unconscious Master, and muttered "... (wellI'llkillyoulater,soit'sfairIguess…)"

If she was being honest, him being at least moderately attractive helped the situation.

If he was awake… well… to begin with she'd knock him out beforehand, so it would be a moot point, but if he **was**, he'd consider it an equivalent exchange for how the rest of the day was.

Wanting to just get it over with, Rin got down to his level and… well, kissed a stranger, basically.

And just as she guestimated he'd been given enough-

"**HEY**! BACK OFF OF HI-AAaaand what are you doing!?"

Rin scrambled to escape the compromising position, and saw the Assassin Servant skidding to a halt.

**Fwooosh!**

The wind her speed picked up caught up to them.

"... You. Saw. **Noth-ing**." Rin warned her.

Assassin's blushing face considered it…

"Y-you hand him over, my mouth is sealed." Assassin made a deal.

"**Done**. Archer?" Rin ordered.

"Doin' it." He picked up the unconscious Master, who seemed to speak in his sleep-

"(...nice... hands...)"

Before being tossed over to the Assassin, who caught him.

"A-And the girl!" Assassin got serious again.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, go nuts." Rin gave Archer a nod.

Archer sighed, and more carefully handed Illya over.

"Pleasure doing business with you. As the Grail tells me they say in Canada, "peace oot~!"" Assassin saluted before carrying her charges off.

This led to Archer and Rin standing there awkwardly for a full minute before Rin added.

"... the Grail tells Servants… oddly random information."

"Yyyyyu**p**." Archer annunciated the p.

"...wait, was… that Berserker's Master?" Rin asked, suddenly worried.

"Yyyyyu**p**."

"... shit."

"Yyyyyu**p**."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Assassin stared at her Master whenever she wasn't checking her path as she ran back to Emiya's house.

…

…

"Nnnnno**p**e! **Not** analyzing **this** feeling today!" she announced after crossing the halfway point.

* * *

_ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

**DunDun!**

**DunDun!**

**It Begins!**

**TAIGA DOJO!**

"Muah… it's getting scary teacher!" Student Number 1 complained. "I don't like it here!"

"Nonsense! I'm scarier than any plant delinquent burger!" Taiga dismissed her.

**Actually, I think she was referring to 2020**

**By the way, we're in the end section.**

"W-wha- Y-**Yes**! Welcome to Taiga Dojo faithful readers! I'm your host, Fujimara Taiga!"

"And I'm the eternally loyal Student Number 1!"

**And I'm… not payed enough for this…**

"This is the end section where we try to explain the chapter to an audience in need of it." Student Number 1 nodded sagely.

"Correct! (Wealsogettomovefreelybutwedonttalkaboutthat…)"

"Teacher… your obsession with animation needs to move on..." The albino complained again.

**Well, if you guys are doing this, can we please get an explanation as to what happened here?**

"Yes Student Number 2-!"

**Please do not call me that.**

"For you see..! Who knows?!" Taiga proclaimed.

"Sensei…"

**Really? "Who knows?"**

"Hm? Did I say the explanation would be accurate?" The teacher tilted her head.

"Well, she's correct, but she's not right." Illya continued, exasperated. "We know as much as the audience at this point…"

**Insightful.**

**Any last minute advice for our hero?**

"De-mystify the mysterious enemy!" Taiga shouted.

"And Rin is actually a lot nicer than she seems. Although that isn't to say she's not scary…" the student shuddered a bit.

**...right. (luckybasdardwasntevenawakeforit…)**

**.**


	18. A Midnight Dreary

**Fate Stay Night Umbra Bello**

**VolcanicFlare- It is theoretically possible for someone to figure out the "who's" of what's happening. I'd be surprised however if they uncovered the "how", or the "why".**

**thewookie1- Indeed. Seeing how Fate likes to change things, it would be almost tradition at this point to change certain details of Arthurian tales. However, I like to think what I'm leading to could, at least partially, be figured out using available canon facts.**

* * *

_Chapter XVIII: A Midnight Dreary…_

_Date: 02/05/2004_

_Time: 6:21 pm_

_Location: Shinto Streets_

* * *

_Meanwhile, during the park battle…_

The hound of Chulainn was getting pretty sick of his job.

Granted, he accepted the summoning in the first place because of all the fights he could get himself into, but this was starting to get dull.

That cute girl, his original Master? Yeah, she was dead. Stabbed in the back by an 'Old Friend'.

Some guard dog he was…

And now he was stuck with her murderer as a Master, who didn't even want him to fucking fight! He just wanted him to 'test their capabilities', and 'tie up loose ends'

Which, leads him back to tonight.

Another loose end, one that's proven to be as stubborn as a cockroach, has reared its head again.

Being fairly sure he killed this bitch once, Sentata wasn't a happy camper to learn he missed a spot.

Lancer had been tracking her down all night. She didn't make it difficult for him.

Caster had left a trail of blood wherever she went. A complete 180 from when she had just holed up in that nice, cozy temple.

Most of her victims then got off with measly coma's. Now?

The Lancer had counted thirteen dead in **one day**. And at least two that had gotten **very** lucky and **might** survive with intensive medical care.

Cu Chulainn wasn't sure what led to the change in the ancient mage, but he was sure of one thing.

He was going to enjoy putting her down.

For whatever reason, his Master had decided to put an end to her meddling here and now.

Which is why Lancer had waited patiently near her typical target area, until now.

He'd found her. She was luring some new victims down a dead end alley to drink them in peace.

The drunk pair of human males seemed to be lured in by some promise of promiscuity, rather than hypnosis.

Unluckily for them, this wasn't their night.

Luckily for them, he was here so it wouldn't be their **last** unlucky night.

Not long before Caster would turn the tables on them, Lancer superhero landed at the alley's entrance.

**SLAM**

Gaining their attention, he started-

"There once was a man in tights, he was getting sick of the same fight."

The men tilted their heads in confusion while Caster had tried to seem unimpressed.

"The woman he'd poached had carried on like a 'roach."

"Listen pal-!" One of the drunkards started

**SLURK**

The men grasped at their throats as they realized what had happened.

Blood spilled from their necks as they fell to the ground.

"'till she sliced the last man's throat."

* * *

_ThemeSong- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

The hooded woman did not change her expression at the threat. Merely staring at her now bloody dagger.

"You put on one hell of a chase. But you should know once my spear is thrown I've sealed your fate. You won't be crawling away this time woman." Lancer declared, twirling his spear around.

"Who… who are you?" she actually trembled.

Lancer paused. Her voice… it didn't sound right.

Thinking it was a trap, he shrugged the feeling off and responded.

"Me? I'm a humble potato farmer, Shamus McFuckyerself." He laughed at his own joke.

Caster still seemed... confused. Like she really didn't know who he was from before.

… or… who **she** was.

She seemed to be backing up quietly.

"What, cat got your tongue? Did your voice die with your lover?" he goaded her.

When she continued to play dumb he began to think the grief of 'Kazuki Sourichirou' dying might have actually driven her mad.

"... well, whether we're feeling chatty or not, I got a job to do. So, would you kindly let death stick this time? I got a rep to uphold…" he rested his spear into battle position.

She looked around for somewhere to run.

His instincts warned him something was wrong here.

Being a Lancer, perception was pretty much his forte.

So, when he felt something was off, he hesitated.

Beyond acting out of character, this was just… wrong.

Casters have an increased sense of environmental awareness to go along with their magecraft.

Meaning, she ought to have known she was being followed.

Meaning, she'd laid a trap.

Question is, what will she do when he springs it?

_"Bah, whatever. It won't survive this."_

He backflipped to gain distance-

"**Fetch me the Witch's heart! GAE BOLG!**"

Only once the legendary spear was thrown did the Magus move. By then, it was **far** too late.

**sprlch**

Trapped by the alley, and fate, Caster had nowhere to go.

Medea of Colchis grasped the spear in her chest. Her reaction being of a screaming horror.

"**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrghhh**!"

Lancer sighed as he approached his quarry to confirm the kill.

"I guess ye really were just a washed-up desperate has-been, huh?" He felt disappointed.

… again.

It didn't take long for him to meet her where she was. Her struggling beginning to die down.

"I guess you and me got something in common. Neither of us has any hope with Masters." he admitted, taking out his spear, letting her body collapse gracelessly to the asphalt as she began disintegrating into black feath-.

"... **shit**." he muttered as the illusion fell away to reality.

In Casters place, there was a dying girl. Barely old enough to attend the highschool his first true battle took place in during this war.

"(n-no… please please… i'm… I don't… i don't wanna die… I -'cough'!)" The brown haired girl coughed up blood.

Sentata had no words.

He could only sigh.

This… it was on him. He should have payed attention to the signs...

The only thing he could do was kneel down and stay with her as she bled out from his mistake.

It didn't take long. Thankfully.

"You're gonna **pay** for that one y'know." He spoke aloud as he turned.

Caster was now standing where he was moments ago.

He was sure of it this time. She **did** stand before him now. No illusions.

If she was proud of what she did, it didn't show.

"I thought you'd be used to this, given what happened to Connla." She hit below the belt.

Aaaaand just like that, his rage **broke**.

"For a woman who cheats death so often, you seem to enjoy **sprinting** towards it..." he growled before-

**BOOM!**

He rocketed towards her, spear in hand until-

**SLAM**

"What the hell!?" He growled, looking to see what grabbed him, disrupting his charge.

One of the dead men. Their hand had been… mutated, for a lack of a better word.

It had grown unnaturally elongated, and pale like a much older corpse.

Of course, it was still a humans body. A meer half-hearted yank sent him flying.

The corpse slammed into the brick wall, where it stilled for a moment before-

"Arrrgh-Aaaaaaaaaaarrriiiiiiiaaa!"

He contorted in a banshee-like scream as his body morphed into in-human shapes.

Lancer turned to the other man, who had begun undergoing similar changes.

"Horrible, isn't it?"

Cu turned to Caster.

"To be turned into something you're not. To be twisted, ripped apart, and pieced together again like some puzzle. To find, in horror, that you don't even recognize your own body as human anymore, as what's left of your nerves **scream** in agony. To be incapable of understanding what you're becoming. I **do** pity them. At least now. But... this is a step I'd taken **long** ago." she monologues while she slowly stepped closer to her victims, and closer to him.

Her confidence in being so close to the spear that ought to run her through gave Lancer pause as she continued.

"Despite how I feel now, it's **far** too late to turn back. No matter my heart, my many crimes remain. In a way, growing a conscience is an appropriate punishment in and of itself. But as I doubt philosophy is a matter that interests you, let's cut to the chase." she says as she kneels down, and retracts the golden dagger her hypnotized victim used on those men. "Surrender yourself to me, Sentata."

"Why would I want to change the current pain in my ass?" He asked as he backed off slowly, spear resting in battle position.

"Because I will throw you at my enemies until you **die**. Because when I use you, I will grant you the battle you seek. Because it will **spite** the man that **murdered** the only one you'd truly recognize as Master. And because I won't be any **worse** than the creature you're forced to call Master now." she offered her hand, confidently.

It didn't take him long to respond.

"Ha! You really think you're in **any** position to force me to switch Masters? Even if you **could** steal my seals, I'm too sick of this bullshit Musical Chairs! Fuck off ya crazy bitch!" He laughed her off.

She didn't seem too broken up about it.

"No matter. I merely wished to give you the illusion of choice." Caster seemed certain of this.

"Listen **hag**, I'm not working for you! Fuck off, suck my spear!" He dismissed her as he got ready to kill her.

The mutating men stumbled into trying to hold him down, but a twirl of his weapon cut them both down.

"If you're gonna try and stop me with your little shop of horrors freakshow, you're going to need a lot more guys." He told her.

But, this part?

This part she smiled at.

"Funny you mention that." she remarks as he heard something on the edge of his range.

"Funny how?"

"A question I'll answer with another question. How many homeless can go missing before someone notices?" she asked him.

The sound grew closer as she backed away back to the streets.

Lancer leapt into the air, and used the walls of the buildings to jump out onto the roofs-

"A lot. The answer is a **lot** of homeless people." He realized as he gazed upon a large gang of mutated plant men across nearby rooftops. At least a hundred. "You've had a busy day…"

"Even before I'd gained the ability to think again, I began constructing an army." Her now disembodied voice told him. "An old instinct I suppose. Gathering the hopeless. The broken. The dispossessed. Using them as pawns in a cause they could only barely understand. And when the time comes, spending them to achieve something none could accomplish alone."

Something bothering Cu Chulainn finally came to make sense.

"You're not Medea. Are you?" the question hung in the air for a minute before the woman nodded sagely.

"It's an appropriate mask, I think. Our stories, they're not so different. We were both betrayed, and, in turn, became betrayers. We were both blinded by false emotions, until it was far too late to turn back. And, in the end, we both abandoned our humanity when it lost its value." she mused as the small army approached.

"And ya both like to talk my ears off!" Lancer mocked as he attacked.

The gaggle of mutant familiars made way for his first target.

His spear ran two through easily enough. And a twirl set it free from the now-corpses.

The rest swarmed back in. Attacking ten at a time. Gae Bolg tearing them to shreds.

A few tried grabbing his spear, and holding it in place, but lacked the strength. He pulled them along and threw them off.

A dance began. They avoided his charge, sacrificing a small amount of their number, and swarmed in before he pulled his spear free of the pale flesh.

Individually, they were actually stronger than they appeared. Easily stronger than your average human.

Still, to a Servant? They were child's play.

However, when they swarmed in with about eight, or ten of them he was forced to put in some effort.

It was nothing Lancer couldn't handle.

But that had him concerned. This Servant had a plan. She had to know he wasn't going to be stopped by a handful of familiars.

He had an option. His Noble Phantasm, Gae Bolg had another usage. Rather than the anti-unit NP that reversed causality to pierce it's enemies heart, it had an anti-army armament that would crush… well… armies.

Only problem was, it already took a lot of energy the last time he used Gae Bolg tonight. This version? It would leave him defenseless.

So, he continued slaughtering the mutants. And upon finding Caster's silhouette in the distance, he gave chase.

Landing back on the streets, he followed her for over a mile, cutting down her puppets along the way.

He found her again, using a large cargo truck for transportation.

Cutting, and weaving through traffic, he caught up fairly quickly.

Another plant monster tried holding him down by his leg, costing him momentum.

He cut it down, and jumped from vehicle to vehicle.

Caster used wind magecraft to launch a vehicle at him, dooming it's occupants to have Gae Bolg pierced through them as to not lose momentum-

**CRACKA-BOOOOOM**

"This all you got Caster!?" He goaded her as he grew closer, "I can do this all week!"

He approached the truck, he tried jumping into it, but-

**WHOOOOSH**

Was blown right off with a mighty gust.

Changing tactics, he ran in front of the truck, and-

**Boom!**

Stabbed his spear into it's front tires, causing it to lose control and-

**SLAM**

**CREEEEEEEEE!**

**BOOOOOM!**

Fall into its side, sliding into a building as Caster leapt off to the streets.

Lancer gave chase as she ran.

But, that's when the attacks stopped. The familiars retreated.

He found Caster waiting for him.

Caster invited him from the bridge connecting Shinto and Miyama.

This time she stood out in the open, awaiting him.

Jumping from building to building, he landed a hundred feet away from her.

"Alright bitch, you gonna spring your trap, or are you done delaying the inevitable?" He asked of her.

"Hm… I believe I've bought enough time..." she played the pronoun game. "And if I'm being honest Lancer, the only one here with a sealed fate is you. Oh, yes. You were doomed the moment you stepped in that alley."

"And how do you figure?" He readied another throw of Gae Bolg. One that would kill her this time.

"Because. Not **once** tonight did you wonder if **I** was hunting **you**." she answers vaguely.

Having enough of this, Lancer prepared to throw his spear when-

She fell from the edge, and into the river.

Unamused, Lancer walked out to the edge.

He stared out to the river, and found Caster floating across to the other side, daring him to cross.

Not particularly worried about the freezing cold water, he leapt from the edge out onto the water when-

**Whoooosh**

Dark tendrils leapt from the water, trying to grab him.

"The hell!?" They were strong. Far stronger than Casters familiars.

He struggled, and forced himself free from their grasp as more took their place.

He slowly forced his way closer, and closer to the other side, pulling, and being dragged by the dark shadowy tendrils.

His spear barely cut through the damned things, as it tried to get him into a death roll.

Still, he'd fight through this. The Grail had shown him enough hentai to know where this was going, and he would have **none** of it!

* * *

Caster watched the Lancer Servant struggle the way across.

_"Hm… shame. Looks like he could actually pull himself free. He would have made an __**excellent**__ pawn…"_ she mused.

She'd need it. Her Master had summoned her annoyingly late into the Grail War. **Far** too late to do things with more subtlety like she prefers.

Summoned using the corpse of the original Caster, she at least had a mask to wear to hide her true identity for as long as that secret proved valuable. Not that too many of the Servants knew the original Casters true identity… still, it fooled Lancer long enough. And **he** was a pest that needed to be dealt with quickly.

"How'd you know Sakura's Shadow would appear here Caster?"

Ah, her… 'Master'.

A creature far baser than his plans would lead you to believe.

Immortality for Immortalities sake. Because he was in constant, horrible pain as a result of his decaying body.

For these reasons, he'd condemed an innocent girl to a life of violation, and torture. Consumed countless other women in a vain attempt to live just a **little** longer. And, ultimately, turned a city into a warzone, dooming countless innocent people caught up in the conflict.

No doubt, Makiri Zolgen would be horrified, and disgusted to see what he'd become if he ever met Matou Zouken.

In a way, she felt it poetic to be summoned by such a creature.

"You can see my skills Master. Unless you've forgotten how in your old age." she informed him.

"Clairvoyance D hardly seems high enough to predict this." his disembodied voice disagreed. "And you don't leave things up to chance."

"Hm… no, I suppose I don't." She gave a non-answer as she watched Lancer struggle, and extended a hand.

In a flurry of deep black, and ghostly blue particles, a corrupted broadsword appeared.

She pointed the weapon at her opponent, declared its name, and released a narrow, blue beam dealt a lethal blow.

Wounded, his struggling proved to not be enough as he was dragged below the waves.

"That's one thorn removed." she mused. "I hope you're pleased?"

"Hm. It's something. You've already done more to win than the Servant of my parasite of a grandchild, but that'd be a given had you merely survived the first ten seconds of combat." Zouken added sardonically.

"Are we sure **he** wasn't the adopted one? By virtue of his blood, shouldn't he have lasted longer than the… what was it you called them…."mongrels" that laid his Rider low?" Caster buttered him up.

"I wouldn't be as frustrated if he was." Zouken added snidely. "Let's go before **we** catch the Shadow's interest."

On that much, Caster could certainly agree with him.

Her understanding of the situation was… dubious at best. Having only been summoned yesterday night, and only becoming fully sentient again around noon after draining the Mana of hundreds of humans, including most of those monks. But from what her Master explained, their survival, and ultimately their **victory** depended on effective control of the girl, and her shadow cast by fragments of the corrupted Grail implanted in her.

It was not an **ideal** situation. Putting all of one's eggs in one basket was risky. Especially when that basket could break at any minute.

Zouken believed the girl was sufficiently broken into complete submission. And, to be fair, Caster had seen into her eyes, and found a truly broken human. But, in becoming a monster, he'd forgotten important things about humans.

The broken could be fixed. The damaged mended.

For hope was like a fire. It could be dampened, and put out entirely. However, through sufficient will, it could **easily** be rekindled.

In his attempts to prevent her from healing, he only opened a door for another to aid her.

In life, Caster would bring harm to others. She would, not unlike Zouken, **break them**. But, when she was to use them, she'd rebuild them in whatever manner she'd find useful.

Once they had lost hope, she'd fill that void with a fury, vengeance, or lust for power that could only be sated through her.

Caster did **not** require Clairvoyance to foresee that Zouken would lose control of Sakura completely the **moment** she gained the power to resist his Crest Worm.

And when they lose control of the girl… they lose the Grail.

**Unacceptable**.

For now, she'd follow her Master's plan. But this would not last.

Once she had truly gained her footing in this era, she'd find her own means of winning this war.

For starters, she'd have to find a means to form the Lesser Grail without it requiring her death…

Oh yes, she'd figured **that** one out not that long ago.

It was a simple matter of efficiency. Heroic Spirits were **not** cheap to summon. And Mages are far from wasteful people. Beyond that, in her entire life, she'd never met a **single** honorable Magi. So, logically, it wouldn't make sense for them to summon a Servant they didn't need. Let alone give them a wish.

From that deduction, this entire war unraveled. However, one fact remained true.

The Grail was **powerful**.

Regardless of if it alone had the power to achieve her ultimate goal, it would open the path.

Still, she found it laughably ironic that 'All The World's Evil' was what might be required in the end…

Still… perhaps not.

**Time** will tell what **will**, and **won't** be necessary.

"Indeed… best let things run their course… to whatever bitter end it may bring." she resigned the destined to their fates, before fading into the night in a flurry of black feathers.

* * *

_ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)_

* * *

**Dun-Dun!**

**Dun-Dun!**

**TAIGA DOJO!**

"Lancer ga Shinda!" Taiga exclaimed from another room in the house as she was changing into her costume.

**It wasn't human!**

"I'm beginning to think halloween is getting to the author…" so says Student Number 1, who was using the 'Ruler' Class Card to dress as Sherlock Holmes.

**I ****did**** label this story as ****Horror****/Humor, did I not?**

**Besides, this route is based on Heavens Feel. Horror is a given.**

"Really though… that Servant knew about Sakura, and didn't seem to care… is she going to be the main villain this time?" she asked, taking notes on a pad.

**A**** Main Villain, yes.**

**The**** Main Villain?**

**Eh…**

**I tend to think Servants are only as relevant as their Masters. So, y'know. Think through that lens.**

"I see… I see… so, she's like Cursed Arm then?" she emphasized words with her pen.

**Exception, not the rule. Hassan was a mook. Caster's a mastermind by her legend.**

"Speaking of… who is this mysterious woman, and why does she look like Medea-chan?" The investigator questioned further.

**First, that's the question, isn't it?**

**Second? Well, she explained it herself.**

"Interesting… interesting… that'll be all Mr. Author man!" She exclaimed.

**Perfect. Now, I know you can't go out, but here's some candy for the spirit of Halloween!"**

"Thank yo-"

"**EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH**!?"

**Ah, jeeze…**

"Nyo Trick or Treating!? Objection! How am I gonna take Illya-chan's candy if she doesn't go out!?" Taiga ran into the room wearing a Jaguar costume.

"That was **you** last year!?" Illya sounded hurt.

"Of course! It's nyat my fault if adults don't get candy-!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M OBJECTING TO YOU LAZY TIGER! GET YOUR OWN!"

**Taiga, we ****are**** in the a pandemic...**

"**Nonsense**! Chocolate is justice! And justice cannot be contained!"

"Justice is not something you speak of lightly…" Illya nodded sagely.

**There's enough in the mix bag for you too-**

"...STAY SAFE ON HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!" Taiga agreed to **staying** in after **digging** in.

"Great. Now we have to deal with her sugar high…" Illya lamented.

**...shit. Didn't think of that…**

**Stay safe on Halloween everyone, see you soon!**

.


End file.
